Climbed Blue Angel on wednesday January 4th. Route was in great climbing shape
despite the balmy 8c, chinook winds and warm sun at the base at noon.
We approached as instructed in Waterfall ice. Description is good and it is
just under 400m vertical from the road to the base.
Road was getting rather dry for sledding but passable as of last night. Again,
as of last night, you could probably drive most of the 16km rd approach in a
decent 4x4 with chains.
Snowpack grew quickly starting around km 13 and the approach walk was kinda
awful. Some long stretches of hip deep, warm snow and almost all the approach
in shin to knee deep snow. There is now a mighty trench up to the base of the
route so if you have any aspirations to doing the route this weekend you can
count on that one blessing. The trail/trench starts just after a small widening
in the road at approx 16kms. Don't miss it!! Almost no avalanche terrain
except the last slope to the base and the small bowls above the route.
The biggest hazard was hanging daggers in the chinook and the sun. I had
planned to do a long first pitch to avoid belaying under a smallish pair of
hanging daggers on the right by belaying in an alcove to the climbers left.
When I got close to the alcove I realized it was seriously threatened by a big
tottering column in a sunbaked alcove. Managed to find a semi hanging, semi
protected belay on a pillar that now sports a double abalokov. Another double
abalokov at the top. Did not climb Lucifer as it was threatened by a huge wall
of daggers that I imagined were actually wobbling in the heat and wind.
Second biggest hazard was screws in the chinook and sun. Cleaned the last pitch
on rappel and removed two sun soaked screws by yanking straight out on them.
Did I mention that it was warm??? Hence the fresh, deep double abalokovs for
anchors.
Climbing was steep, grade 5 and the sticks and feet felt way more secure than
the screws. Ice quality/strength should improve dramatically if it cools to
just below freezing.
Larry Stanier
ACMG Mountain Guide
laristan@xxxxxxxxx
Lucifer and the death daggers on the left. Blue Angel on the right. The
tottering column is tucked in between the top pitch of Blue Angel and the upper
limestone pillar between the two routes.
_______________________________________________
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