"Sports are just like most other human activities. They go through times that, when
we look back on them, seem to have been usually lively or dynamic, just as they
go through times when it seems little is happening."
- 'The Bear Hunters Century' (Paul Scullery, 1988)
... to which we add "especially if the sport is as singularly dependent to optimal weather conditions as climbing frozen waterfalls,"
Been quite a few years since we've experienced cooperative weather conditions conducive to the efforts of a few local folks pursuit of the fun of more often than not enduring near frozen fingers and toes and occasional self inflicted fear and dread while dangling high above implacably hard ground secured to a hulking, unpredictable sheer wall of ice by nothing more than the tempered steel points of two potentially body piercing pickaxe and a few foot spikes, themselves potentially limb breaking, body flipping (or both) in the event of a fall; the ice protection is sparse, spread out and unpredictable; the golden rule of ascent being "the lead climber must not fall!"
Maybe ten years.
So, ventured out to the 'Gun Club Wall' a few days back to check out the current ice conditions. Temperatures hereabouts have not breached the high 20's (Fº) as yet this new year, piquing curiosity. Still, didn't expect much considering the "flash freeze" and dry, near desiccated ground consequential to consecutive months of drought weather pattern and low relative humidity.
The extended dry period prompted this mid-summer warning posted to the club's facebook page
Gun Club, 24Jan25 (or, 24 days -32ºF)
Our expectations were somewhat correct. The main flow not lookin' bad, with an added opportunity about for a mixed line or two. Using this as a visual measure augmented with past experience, we're bettin' that proximal walls with sufficient channel flow; e.g., Layton Falls, Buzzard (Krahlak) Falls, were maybe "in"; possibly "fat". This also considers ice buildup we've observed along the waterfall of a local nearby creek as well.
Gun Club Wall 2014, when it all comes together.
Alternating cycles of freeze/thaw (cold nights/moderate days), sufficient seeping groundwater, adequate snow precipitation, moderate relative humidity.
Gun Club Wall early 2000's
Then if lucky ya' get the super elevated conditions (abundant precipitation and groundwater, cycling freeze/thaw, moderate to high humidity). Maybe once every fifty years. We'd been climbing there for around twenty years prior to that season. If we'd have had no knowledge, or had not been there ourselves, and ya' sprung this image on us, we'd have had no idea where this was.
Used ta' be that touching upon the notion of climbing ice, or "mountain climbing" in general, within the Laurel Highlands region, and specifically the 'Chestnut Ridge' of SWPA, was looked upon the same as if ya' mentioned encounters such as Bigfoot, UFO's, Thunderbirds and such phenomena frequently reported, always unsubstantiated, throughout the forests of the "Pennsylvania Twilight Zone"... "Ya' need to go out west to Colorado for that stuff!" was always the comment, even from seasoned climbers that we knew.
Well, we knew that stuff was out there - and some pretty spectacular 'ta boot (through the help of a few bygone quarry operations). We'd seen it. And had photographic evidence...
Early encounters, '80's - '90's:
(For historical purposes, note that blue highlights, i.e. '00, indicate first year that we, or others we know of, have climbed on these frozen formations.)
Layton Falls '82 - a large portion of the upper falls collapsed, precipitated by that large pothole, shortly after taking this photo - and after having been ascended a few times this day. Just missing us. Our introduction to ice climbing.
Layton Falls late 80's.
Meadow Run, Ohiopyle SP '82 - some now archaic gear. High tech at the time.
Buzzard (Krahlak) Ice Falls '84
Buzzard Ice Falls early '90's. Standard rack for the (Grade IV) vertical stuff pictured herein. A few Black Diamond SS chromoly screws and quickdraw runners pictured. All these areas are pretty short lengthwise; <80ft. Heck of an improvement over the earlier (Type 4340?) steel Chouinard screws, along with a couple cheap Russian titanium screws we owned. And you could set and place 'em with one hand. The crux of the climbing using the old steel screws, commonly more so than the actual climbing itself, was hanging and getting the screws to bite, needing both hands free, then cranking them into the ice.
We seldom placed more than 2-3 screws. Other than the pump factor, vertical, thick, plastic ice seldom feels (at the easiest) more difficult than 5.8 rock climbing. Usually liked to get a screw near the top, though. Steep top outs with tools and crampons always felt two grades harder and quite often scary when the ice doesn't form all the way or falls short of the face, with the top frozen turf or rock.
Still wish that we had that now vintage 'NFL Films' cap. Was given to us by a retired NFL films cinematographer we had come to know. He'd worked most of the 60's and '70's NFL seasons and was full of tales. Flipped a river boat once and lost it.
Meadow Run. Testing out a budget tool set. 'Sabres' we think they were called, manufactured by Forrest Mountaineering. Bought 'em as a spare set for use whenever we could coerce a non-ice climbing friend along. More ice routes than climbers back then. Not their 'Lifetime' brand tools. Fixed hammer/adze heads (although, recall a roller pin fastener - never saw replacement heads in their catalog, though). If ya' broke 'em they were done. Unless swung dead on they skipped, bounced and vibrated like crazy. Scary stuff - don't flame out with these in hand. Their lifetime tools and Mjollnir hammer were ok, though. Still, all that stuff was susceptible to breaking. First time we observed "modern" dry tooling which involved liebacking and torquing pick tips in thin cracks, successfully without breaking of coarse, we were bitin' our nails. We'd broken earlier picks just levering them, overdriven, out of plastic ice. Breaking a pick was our biggest dread if on lead. Never passed up an opportunity to hook a tool. No excuses, though - a crusty, old time '50's-'60's era river runner once harrumphed, while lookin' over our flashy new Dagger WW canoe "Hey - if you can really paddle you can navigate a ten foot wood 2x12 down the river!". We still believe 'em.
'Sliding Board' at 'Victoria Flats Ice Falls', Ohiopyle SP '87.
There's a few pretty good Grade 2/2+ gullies flanking the Yough River gorge. Over 200ft length and a bit of a wilderness experience. Used to be able to drive to the base of 'em before the Yough River Bike Trail was built.
Ice "bouldering" along the upper wall at 'Irishtown' '84.
Ice bouldering the small flows along the old 'P&LE' mine on a warm day, '84
Although dated much later, we're including these two images as they illustrate optimum conditions. Both areas were climbed back in the '80's.
Top: 'Irishtown' and 'Mouth of Madness' '84 (photo: early 2000's)
Bottom: 'Rod and Gun Club' '84 (photo: early 2000's)
List of significant Laurel Highlands ice, 1980 - 2000
Rod and Gun Club, Grades III - IV
Irishtown, Grades III - IV
Buzzard (Krahlak) Falls, Grade IV
Layton Falls, Grade III - IV
Meadow Run, Grade III - IV
Darlington Quarry, Grade III - IV
Victoria Flats, Grade 2 - 2+
P&LE Mine, Ice Bouldering
We'd hung up the tools at the beginning of the current millennia. Shortly thereafter we became acquainted with a highly motivated and (as ourself) wonderfully irreverent fellow named Tim Anderson. Quite a bit younger, Tim was out lookin' to climb everything. At the time climbing in general was experiencing a bit of an overall transformation: popularity, ethics and gear innovation. Tim was on top of it all. We acquainted 'em with a few areas he wasn't aware of as to unburden 'em with much of the search and error that we experienced throughout the earlier years. Photography was goin' thru a bit of overall transformation as well: conversion as an overall digital medium including simplistic video editing systems. After little consideration, we figured "Well, we'll stick by for a few more years to follow this guy around to see what he's up to. An opportunity to experiment with some digital photography as well - Sounds like fun!"... more on that in Part II...
'Stinky', lookin' a bit haggard after a long day
No comments:
Post a Comment