How Mountain Athlete helped me have the best start to an ice season i've ever had.

Three thousand miles from home and nearly an hour from the closest town, depending on how many bighorn sheep you needed to dodge, I stare blankly at the fire hose of rushing water that is supposed to be my ice climbing route in the Shoshone National Forest’s South Fork. The warm November weather has brought comfortable climbing temperatures but having chosen a south facing aspect to climb, a relative mistake or accepted adventure (I have yet to decide), my climbing partner and I had found ourselves in the typical early season ice climbing conundrum. Having already climbed through two pitches of scrappy, western conglomerate “kitty-litter” rock, some snow slogging and a pitch of decent ice, I turn the corner to find that our ice route has turned into suspect spray ice and a technical, as I call it, aggressive uphill swim. Using what’s left of the dull point of my ice axe, I scrape out a suspect crack to my right and try not to fall into the hollow ice beneath my feet. I place not one, but three pieces of rock protection before considering moving another inch. If two lobes of the cam are on flakey, rotten rock does that still count? Or is this what they call, mental protection? Either way, this climb is beginning to show me the true meaning of Western Hospitality.

April 7, 2015Mountain Athlete, Smugglers Notch, New Hampshire, Mt. Mansfield, Mount Washington, East Coast, Ice Climbing, Climbing, Wyoming, Montana, Hyalite Canyon, Cody, TrainingComment

The Northeast Ridge of Pinnacle Buttress

My stance was poor, frictioning my feet against lichen infested rock and reaching over to sloping and loose holds I realized I had no choice but to use these pitons, other protection was entirely absent. Reaching for an extendable sling and carabineer I banged on the piton once, “Ding….” A hollow ring echoed down into the valley. Pulling on the piece it seemed to be strong enough so I inched my way forward. It’s moments like these where an adrenaline fueled high will consume your mind, closing out the rest of the universe and all of your tedious tasks back in the civilized world. Exposure like this places you in a deep meditative trance where every fiber of your body can be felt and each delicate movement takes absolute and full awareness.

April 7, 2015New Hampshire, Dirtbag, Climbing Bum, Rock Climbing, Climbing, History, North Conway, Mount Washington Comment