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General Climbing Discussion

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Ice-climbing conditions at Blue Lake - Jul/Aug 05 25-Aug-2005 At 6:02:27 PM ecowain

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Just back as Duncan said.

Went out a few weeks ago in that blizzard, and got in some perfect skiing in the upper cirque and twynam north spur when it cleared up. Were any of you the two guys (maxots?) we met who'd been out there in the blizzard since the sunday? I was with the funny norweigian guy :-) Must have been going stir crazy. If we'd known you were that close to us in the bad weather, we'd have invited you over for freshly tent-baked choccy cake. We had to have a laugh at the chain of thirty folks camping around the corner on the friday too, when they got the smell of brownies blowing over the hill... Were they the army?

Went back out on this last weekend and monday to go for a climb, and it was sooo warm and much less snow around. Spent a night filling water bottles up in a snow cave up twynam creek. Guthega creek and the flying fox are a bush walk.

Ice was melting fast, and most of the formations that were reasonably solid earlier in the month were either hollow and disappearing fast or already gone. The eastern amphitheatre was about the only place worth playing (agree that west facing seems best), but even excavating worse ice still left shitty ice underneath. Screws placed would pull out with a good hard tug, and only stubbys wouldn't hit air. Fun though. We had a play with drytooling some easier looking lines.

Has anyone had a go climbing routes like dihedral corner or mindbender in winter conditions?

Great weather up at Booroomba if you're in the area. We had a stellar day yesterday.

owain.