Thin Ice

This is a short TR because Kenway is busy these days (sorry Louise).

Last Sunday I picked up Kenway at the bus station and we headed for Stony Clove. The parking lot was half full, but we did not meet anyone on our way to the west side of the clove, suggesting everyone was on the east side. Maybe the ice was thicker there.

Our original plan was for Kenway to lead Little Black Dike first followed by the two pitches of the Curtain for me to get my revenge on the second pitch. Once we reached the base of Little Black Dike however, we quickly realized we had to change plans as there was not a single icicle on that thing: rock, rock, and more rock.

We headed toward the curtain. It looked thin (in fact there was no free hanging curtain to speak off), but it looked potentially feasible; although definitely not easy. Kenway lead it in style. After the first two early screws, he went super long before sinking in the third; I was definitely nervous as a fall would have guaranteed that he hit the ground. He took a short rest and proceeded to a split stance right before the traverse left. He put it two screws (one to the right and one to the left, and slung the right one long. The traverse was much harder than it usually is, because the lack of ice meant you needed to take your feet much higher and basically throw your left foot on the ledge; but Kenway made it look easy. He stood on the ledge for a little while, resting, he also put in two screws. He later told me he was nervous because the ice on the ledge was so thin, he thought the entire sheet would slide off the rock. He then topped out with no problem, putting a screw along the way. I seconded in what might have been the ugliest climb of my short career, but I made it up nonetheless.

Lean conditions on the Curtain



Plenty of ice across the road


From there I went to the base of the second pitch to see it was not possible. The first 30 feet had ice about 1/2 an inch thick, completely delaminated; you could see the water seeping between the ice and the rock. So I came back down and we rapped.

We headed for what I think is the Gurgler. My first few screws were placed at reasonable distances, but I quickly started sewing it up. About midway I had ice fracture as I put a screw in which made me nervous about the ice quality. The top out was sketchy, with very little ice and a strange position where you axes are in shallow angled part, but your feet are on a vertical part and you can't see them. This was followed by climbing in frozen mud, and installing anchors on a tree. Kenway followed and then we both did it on TR once more using a more vertical line.



Sketchy topout ahead...


We headed down to the road using a better line than usual, packed the car, grabbed the cat at home and headed back down to NYC.

I definitely think Monkey Medal for ice lead of the year should go to Kenway for his thin curtain lead: never sat on the gear, found good stances, managed to relax when it got sketchy, and did nice axe and crampon work to top out this harder than usual version of the climb.

I on the other hand have some work to do...