Catskill Ice Festival 2013 – This Weekend!

The 15th Annual Catskill Ice Festival

 February 8, 9, 10, 11, 2013.

Hell Hole - Ice Fest Photo by Derby

The ice conditions are looking great for this event! Hope you can make it!

Get pumped for the Ice Fest with A Local’s View of the Devil’s Kitchen by Ryan Stefiuk.

 

“Last year was great fun. This year we will have multiple clinics on all the skills and techniques you need to get out on ice – from basic skills, to dry-tooling, to glacier travel techniques.

Slide shows on Friday & Saturday evening feature the Catskills – see an aerial view on Friday night with Marty Molitoris, and get the beta on the latest mixed and ice routes by Christopher Beauchamp. Slide shows will be held at Rock and Snow at 8pm.

The demo gear will be located at Rock and Snow – so you can try out the latest Harnesses, Ice Tools, Crampons, and clothing from the best companies. You know them – Black Diamond, Petzl, La Sportiva, Outdoor Research & Rab. Click for location directions 

Rates are $150 per person per event – Slide shows are free!

As an added bonus – Rock and Snow will offer 15% off for ice gear and apparel for all icefest registrants from the time they sign up through the end of the ice fest. All you need is to print out and show them the confirmation email we send when you register for it.”

Register Here!

More information here…

A Local’s View of the Devil’s Kitchen

Do the Catskills have any WI6 ice?

What do grade 6 ice routes even look like? For a long time I didn’t think I knew what WI 6 ice routes were. I think we northeasterners have been very modest about our grading of hard ice routes. The definition of grade 6 I found on the Alpinist website is “WI6: A full ropelength of near-90 degree ice with no rests, or a shorter pitch even more tenuous than WI 5. Highly technical”  A quick perusal of the current Catskill guidebook does a pretty good job of convincing one that there is no WI6 in the Catskills as well. I’m not so sure any more.

Lucho Romero leading “Judgment Call”, a seldom climbed route between “The Advocate” and “Dan and the Devil”.

I began coming to the Catskills to ice climb in 2004, while I was still living in Vermont. During the previous two winters I’d spent nearly all of my free time climbing ice at Lake Willoughby. I’d climbed most of the classic routes there and felt really comfortable leading steep ice.

During my first ride through the Catskills I was impressed by how much steep ice there was. None of the pitches were long, but most of the pillars were dead vertical, leaving the leader feeling like they were climbing overhanging terrain the whole time.

Jason Hurwitz on the sustained vertical ice of “The Advocate”, WI5+.

By 2005 I’d moved to New Paltz. I set about leading many of the steep classic ice lines during that very warm winter, when most routes were quite lean. Everything in the Catskills was new to me, and I was blown away by all of the climbing hidden in the steep, wooded hillsides, obscured from view by enormous hemlock trees. Still though, I missed the long, sustained cruxes found at places like Lake Willoughby.

Of all the Catskills areas I climbed at that winter, one area stands out above the rest. That venue is the Devil’s Kitchen (aka the Black Chasm). The Kitchen is a cool place. Take the crux pitches from half a dozen Willoughby routes and place them side by side in a deep, shady, backcountry Catskill ravine and you have the Kitchen. It’s easily one of the best single-pitch training grounds for hard ice climbing on the east coast. It’s also the only spot in the Catskills where you can chew your tongue off on a long, challenging pitch of ice. I’ve climbed there many times since the winter of 2004-2005, and every trip impresses me more than the last. Many locals wait several seasons before working up the gumption to lead routes in the Kitchen. Lots of folks walk down the steep hill, stand beneath the intimidating pillars and promptly turn around. Toproping in the sunnier Hell Hole seems like a better idea to them.

Instant Karma during lean conditions. Photo courtesy of Joe Vitti

The Catskill ice guidebook doesn’t really do this very classic and understated place the justice it deserves. All of the routes are given a WI4+ or WI5 rating, with the exception of the few free-standing pillars like Devil Dog, which are rated WI5+. Having climbed many of the northeast’s hard classics, I can confirm that the guidebook grades are incorrect.

Here is my “local’s” synopsis of this very amazing Catskill climbing venue and it’s outstanding routes.

Dan and the Devil, the leftmost distinct route climbs 40′ of scary thin 80-degree ice before gaining a short, overhanging, free-standing pillar. This might be the hardest WI4+ on earth (with the exception of Crazy Diamond at the Lake). Classic routes like Repentence, Positive Thinking, and The Black Dike, which are often called WI5- are all technically easier than this route.

Judgment Call, a seldom climbed hard route, links patches of ice between Dan and the Devil and The Advocate. Following this route to the top usually requires surmounting an ice overhang on brittle ice near the top. WI5+ usually feels like an understatement on this hard route.

The Advocate, WI5, a tannin-stained and intimidating 100′ tall dead-vertical pillar is easily as long as the vertical cruxes on routes like Called on Account of Rains and The Promenade, which are typically rated WI5+.

Mephisto Waltz promises engaging and unique climbing. Photo courtesy of Doug Ferguson.

Mephisto Waltz, WI4+/WI5, is a spectacular route that almost always forms with some sort of ice roof and climbs overhanging ice mushrooms for 50′ before gaining a vertical runnel. Expect funky “WI6-ish” ice on this one.

Hydropower, M9- WI5, established a few years ago, stands as the hardest mixed line in the Catskills and is one of only a handful of routes M9 or harder in the northeast. A long pitch of overhanging mixed climbing reaches an arm-busting crescendo just before the ice. From there a short section of WI5 tests your commitment.

Matt McCormick gains the ice on “Hydropower” during the first ascent.

Devil Dog, which almost always collapses under it’s own weight, is  a 100′ tall free-standing pillar. I don’t think there’s another pillar like it anywhere else in the northeast. When it touches down think WI6. If it’s candled and hard to protect you might have to wrap your brain around WI6+. Most of the time it’s laying on the ground at the base of the cliff.

Instant Karma, one of the finest routes in the northeast, is completely underrated at WI5. Bolt-protected mixed and thin ice climbing gives way to challenging overhanging bulges and a thin creaky pillar at the top. During lean conditions, which is most years, you’ll have to chimney behind the final pillar and carefully climb onto it’s front near the top. Each crux on Instant Karma is short, but demands one’s utmost attention. Many climbers are intimidated by this route and some wait their whole ice climbing career before leading it.

Doug Ferguson leading a challenging Instant Karma

Of all these routes, Instant Karma is my favorite. I’ve climbed it as a perfect cylindrical 3′-wide 100′-tall vertical pillar with good rests and soft ice, and I’ve climbed it several times when it’s lean and I felt like the top pillar, which was only 3” thick at it’s base, might collapse with me on it. To me, this route epitomizes hard Catskill climbing. If you swing too much down low on the route there won’t be enough ice left to climb. If you don’t manage rope drag you might pull yourself off on the brittle upper pillar. Swing too hard up top and the pillar just might fall off and cut your rope in the process.

Nowadays, many of the routes have bolts to protect the unprotectable sections of ice. They’d all been climbed with traditional protection though, a proposition that seems unfathomable to all but the best ice climbers. It’s good not to forget this when climbing in the Kitchen – local hardmen have been climbing here forever.

Isn’t it time you paid this dark, shady place a visit? In a land full of 100′ tall vertical “WI5” pillars, does the mythical northeastern WI6 exist? It’s clear I’ve made my decision – go see for yourself and decide.

Valley Vertical Adventures

Ryan Stefiuk / NEice Ambassador

Valley Vertical Adventures

http://www.valleyvertical.com

ryan@valleyvertical.com

Adirondack Mountainfest 2013 from the Air

by Courtney Ley  

The NEice helicopters and flight crew were busy during this year’s Adirondack Mountainfest! Doug and I arrived on Thursday night with the helicopters calibrated, charged up and ready to fly.  We were on a mission to capture some footage of the spectacular ice climbing that the Adirondacks has to offer. We were lucky to be able to unpack our bags at the Adirondack Rock and River Lodge, the co-host of the event, along with The Mountaineer. The accommodations were no less than perfect.

King Kong takes some aerial photos of Rock and River Friday morning

On Friday, we set off to check out conditions at Roaring Brook. We were not totally surprised to see the brook was still roaring, but with the excellent lighting and the beauty of the waterfall, we launched the WooKong for a closer look.

Then it was off to Chapel Pond. Things were in excellent shape and there were climbers spotted all over the area enjoying the ice and the beautiful weather. In the canyon, there were some guided parties getting a head start on the festivities. It was great to stop and chat with them.

The WooKong checks on conditions at Chapel Pond

Of course, any day in the Keene Valley area isn’t complete without a stop in at The Mountaineer, whether you’ve spent the day climbing, hiking or flying, and that’s exactly what we did.

The NEice air fleet buzz The Mountaineer

On Saturday, Doug headed to the cliffs of Poke-O-Moonshine with the WooKong while I stayed in the warm lodge doing some last minute editing to the short film we were presenting that night before the Freddie Wilkenson main event. As it turned out, some of the best footage was taken at Poke-O and I was happy to have last-last minute clips to put together. The flying was tight, but Doug took some risks, piloted well and it paid off!

Ted Hammond waves to the camera.

We took the helicopters to the Keene Central School that night and had them on display to mingle with the climbing community. Before Freddie’s presentation and after The Mountaineer folks and sponsors tossed a lot of goodies into the audience, we showed off our best footage from our first couple of months into the project. Some of the best footage being the crashes, of course.  Always a crowd pleaser! As it turned out, Freddie’s presentation involved aerial footage as well.. on a much grander scale. His presentation of the Tooth Traverse in the Alaska Range was one of the most visually stunning that I’ve seen.

 

Sunday’s weather offered up wicked winds, snow tornadoes and cold temperatures. Doug checked with the flight control tower (me) and I announced the helicopters were grounded for the day. With the presentation behind us, it was time to go climbing. First, we took a hike into Chapel Pond canyon and saw everyone enjoying their clinics.  Then it was time to swing the tools myself. I had yet to climb Chouinard’s Gully, so it was an obvious choice. What an enjoyable climb. As with any classic, it doesn’t take long to see why it is a classic.

We decided to stay over until Monday and caught a couple of quick laps on the Sisters in Cascade Pass. NEice ambassador Emilie Drinkwater of Cloudsplitter Mountain Guides showed up on this bitterly cold day and climbed up the left route as we were on the right side.  Despite encountering extremely brittle ice conditions and almost freezing to death, it was perfect.

Chouinard’s Gully from the air

Doug nearing the top of Sisters right. (photo courtesy of Cloudsplitter Mountain Guides – Emilie Drinkwater)

It was a fantastic weekend spent with great company, great meals and lodging, fun climbing and excellent presentations to keep that stoke going!  Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hi and see the helicopters on Saturday night and also throughout the weekend.  To everyone I say, this is only the beginning!  UP!

(Click images to enlarge)

 

 

 

 

 

 

CryoKinesis

Ray Rice logging some air time on CryoKinesis: Photos by Jim Surette, GraniteFilms.com

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The First Ascent of Cryokinesis

Peter Doucette shakes out and searches for the next edge, divot or dimple towards progress on this year’s first attempt of Cryokinesis. Photo: Ray Rice

Ray Rice’s airborne antics folded him nearly in half and brought him to a halt not so far above Cathedral Ledge’s Blueberry Terrace in January 2010. “Walking”, or “climbing it off”, as was the case, Ray leaned into a no hands rest 30+ feet below his highpoint. He collected himself and prepared for his second go before the adrenaline and whatever else was coursing through his veins dissipated. Later, Ray described the upper reaches of Cryokinesis as, “climbing blacked out.” He shed his gloves late in the lead as desperation returned.  He torqued, clung, quivered and willed his way upward, narrowly avoiding a second dangerous mistake. Either due to acute focus, or the pain his body was suppressing, his memory of the pitch was as sparse as the turf shots between him and topping out.

Ray’s belayer that day was Bayard Russell. Bayard simply laughed when I asked him recently what it was like belaying and watching Ray so unabashedly go for it.  As his laughter stopped, he said, “When Ray got back on, (and I had to send him my tools first, cause his had sailed to the ground) I was talking to the rope, trying to push it, and Ray, to the top from below. It was terrifying to think he could take that same fall again. He was just going for it.  At the end of the day, when we’d all reached the ground, we had to look for Ray’s tools. In the search, we found both, one having left a perfect tool silhouette punched in the snow further from the base of the cliff than you’d expect.”

The reality reinforced by the unfortunate fact that Ray’s back still bothers him
Jimmy Surette was also up there that day and took the sequence of photos above. Jimmy, recounting the fall, notes, “It was all of 35 feet. Could‘ve easily been forty.” These images were shown at the Mount Washington Valley Ice Festival that year, generating groans and expletives from the crowd. The pictures left the screen, but stayed fixed in everyone’s memory. Having documented the fall that no climber ever wants to imagine, added to its almost legendary quality. The reality reinforced by the unfortunate fact that Ray’s back still bothers him.

Ray Rice using all the ice he was given and maxing out the stem on the first ascent of Cryokinesis. Photo: Peter Doucette

As climbers, the top is only part of the goal. How we feel climbing, the style with which we approach objectives, choose partners, remember the stories and record ascents hold high priority, too. The “First Ascent” with the no hands rest and little memory of its upper reaches still seemed, for Ray, like a job unfinished, until last Sunday, January 6th, when we climbed Cryokinesis, from the ground via Karen’s Variation. We took turns successfully leading the (crux) last pitch, Ray first. It was my second time attempting the route and Ray’s third.

While the approach pitch of Karen’s Variation offers its own brand of delicate, awkward climbing: it’s never wildly difficult – Some ice, some turf, and a well executed hex placement get you through the bulging cruxes and lead you to more secure climbing – But upon reaching the terrace, the route’s character changes and very clean granite rises above. Powerful stemming on micro features and plenty of gear on Kinesis get you started. Cryokinesis diverges 25’ up (about 6’ below the existing bolt) with a necky pull to a good stance (Ray’s earlier no hands rest point).  Higher, the fascinating pillar spouts from a crack in the middle of the otherwise blank face. Beyond the ice, the wall steepens to gently overhanging with clutch thin cracks, a lone pin, suitably techy feet and just enough turf to keep your security in question to the last swing. This is a classy and ephemeral route. Check it out, but don’t stare too much at the fall sequence before you go.

Ray Rice moving above his gear and into the ice on the first ascent. Photo Peter Doucette

Ray Rice moving above his gear and into the ice on the first ascent. Photo Peter Doucette

We rated Cryokinesis M7+ NEI 5

Pitch One (Climbs Karen’s Variation) at M6 180′

Pitch 2 is M7+ NEI 5 85’

First Ascent: Ray Rice and Peter Doucette January 6th 2013


Photos of Cryokinesis

[nggallery id=27]

Click photos to enlarge

 

*Thanks to Jim Surette and Granite Films for sharing his images for this publication.

 

Peter Doucette

IFMGA/AMGA Licensed Mountain Guide
Phone:  603  616-7455

Address: 84 Skyline Drive
Intervale, NH. 03845

Diagonal – Erik Eisele and Scott Bubnis

A time-lapse video of Diagonal, Cathedral Ledge NH

Jan. 5, 2013

 

Video by Dustin Marshall Photography

Sources: Youtube / shadesofgranite.blogspot.com / Erik Eisele

How NEice.com ranks

NEice continues to be one of the top players for climbing web sites.

* Click to enlarge

Below are the rankings of some popular climbing web sites. Now remember smaller is better. I left out the big guns, climbing, Rock and Ice, exct. as they are in a different league. But this will give you a feel of where we stand among our peers.

Web Site World Wide Rank
Mountain Project.com 107135
Super Topo.com 181398
Alpinist.com 377495
American Alpine Club.com 958094
NEice.com 1466486
Alpine Club of Canada.ca 1614223
Will Gadd.com 1737577
Gripped.com 1841200
Climberism.com 1922600
Metro Rock.com 1924640
Ouray Ice Park.com 2150202
Gunks.com 2958114
Gravsports Ice.com 3184387
Gravsports.com 4978549
New England Bouldering.com 5029044
NEclimbs.com 6136644
Escalade Quebec.com 6506015

* Figures are from Alexa.com 1/4/2013


Some other stats that stand out

One month (Dec. 4, 2012 – Jan. 4,  2013)


Unique Visitors: 27,765

Page Views: 484,117

Online Photos of Ice Climbing: over 10,000

Value of items sold  in the Classified: $55,206

Visits to the site this year increased by 100.12% 

The Forum has over 65,000 Posts made by 4,757 Members

Type ice climbing in Google and we always come up on the first page, today we were  #4

 

~ Doug Millen

 

 

 

A Season Within a Season

Article by Courtney Ley

It is when one season weakens and surrenders to the growing strength of another that we can most clearly see the movement of time changing space.  The leaves brown, crumble and fall at our feet.  The water slowly comes to a halt and freezes.  It is quiet and I’m alone.  As if I’m in the middle of nature’s own time lapse, I peer around the same corner but I find my surroundings are different.  The air is warm but the ground is cold.  I am winding my way around a dark, shaded place but I have a clear objective.  I am climbing up towards the top where the light begins.  Before I reach it, I am confronted with unknowns despite being in a place I’ve travelled many times before.  During this time, everything is unpredictable, and often one day is strikingly different from the next.  I am confident I can handle anything I encounter but my movements must be thought out.  I place my ice tools delicately in the newly formed ice and my crampons on a thin shelf of rock.  Upwards, slowly, as if not to disturb the passage of time that I find myself enveloped in.

Before I had set off, I didn’t know what the condition of the ice was going to be, if there would be any ice at all.  For in that time before the heart of winter takes a hold, just a few degrees up or down has a drastic effect. Winter just doesn’t arrive full strength right away.  It comes and goes until the warm air of autumn finally gives in.  Ice may appear and disappear within hours.  Despite this, I am able to find peace in the battle of the seasons.  Autumn has allowed winter to take a hold of this place, for now.  I sink the first couple of teeth on my pick into the ice.  At times, I’m putting a tool away and grabbing a hold of the rock.  A kick with my crampons proved too hard and some ice has fell away.  I find another place for my feet.

In early season, I find adventure in the mountains I’ve visited time and time again.  It is necessary to keep constant watch on the weather, to plan and strategize when and where to go, because the ice is never guaranteed.  I travel light, unburdened by ropes or gear.  I start early because the approach is long and the place is high.  I want to reach the top, but I linger. Finding ice to climb during this time is worthy of a little savoring.

My mind is so focused at the task at hand that I don’t see anything else beyond this place.    But every once and awhile I will pause and watch the surrounding mountains grow smaller and more plentiful.  On this day as I reach the top, I’m greeted by warm sun.  Wind sculpted rime ice covers the rocky landscape.  I have climbed up a ravine I had before in a gully I had before, but the climb was different.  Soon winter will move in and the ice will grow and the snow will arrive and people will begin heading into this place.  Tool and crampon placements will be easier to find, the ice will be more reliable and conditions predictable.  The three dimensional world of rock, thin ice, running water and vegetation will relent into world of white snow and white ice.  For now, I have this place to myself.  I walk in the frosted alpine terrain satisfied and content that I had climbed ice that only few knew existed.  And ice that would most likely melt away before it returns.

There is depth and variety to early season.  The trees in the valleys still hold on to their last leaves as they flicker in the wind. Higher up the branches are encased in ice.  As I make my way up and down the mountain, I experience the two seasons as separate entities above and below. During my climb, they are melded into one.  When I descend, I start to hear the crunch of autumn under my feet.  Whites fade away as pale greens and yellows return to the woods.

It is now that this early season, this season within a season, is beginning to fade.  I watch the snow fall, the ice build and number of people grow quickly and fill in the gullies, slots, corners and clefts of the mountains.  I thought it only appropriate to bid a farewell to this time and place as I now seek out more remote places to experience that sense of adventure I am always thirsting for.

Bringing Your "A-Game"

I’m standing below a steep curtain of ice. The route looked ok from the car, though not great, and truth be told, I know I don’t have my “A-Game” this morning.  My arms, core, and back are shot from Saturday’s thrashing session as I scratched, hooked, clawed, flailed, and fell my way up Erik’s savagely hard mixed line.  Climbing on Willard all day Sunday was fun, but it didn’t exactly leave me well-rested for this quick New Year’s Eve morning climb before running out of town.

I’ve climbed this before though, and I know that I’ve got enough in the tank to work it out.  I know how to kick, swing, place screws, find rests, and (if all else fails) bail and run away. I know that despite everything dragging me down, I can safely find my way up.

Bringing Your “A-Game”

Article by Patrick Cooke

A lot needs to fall into line for me to bring my “A-Game” to the table.  It requires the right partner, the right training, enough rest, a clear head and myriad other variables to be just right.  Sometimes I think I have it, only for a mis-step, blown tool, or shift in the alignment of the cosmos to convince me otherwise.  Perhaps I just need to work on my resilience if I want to bring my A-game more often, but I think will-power will only get you so far.

I feel lucky in that partners are a piece of the puzzle I really don’t have to worry much about. I have supreme confidence in the people I climb with. Some I know can grab the rack and just fire up whatever it is I’m too chickenshit to lead at that moment.  Others don’t give me that luxury, but they are calm, positive, and know when I need that extra push to surmount the obstacles within my own mind.

The last two seasons, I feel like I at least had the training part down. I came into the winters of 2010/11 and 2011/12 strong and confident. Countless hours in the gym, hanging on tools, figure-4ing and otherwise pushing my body in ways that made my friends and colleagues question my sanity, but I was CONFIDENT. Maybe not in my skills, but in my strength. I knew that I could hold on forever and place that screw despite the screaming in my forearms.  While there were undoubtedly climbs that were physically beyond my fitness level, I was plenty strong enough for the climbs I wanted to do. I didn’t climb my way into shape, I jumped right onto routes that were test-pieces for me a day or two into the season, and I SENT.

Stopping to take a photo of my feet while leading the second pitch of Mindbender… probably as good as it got last year.

For me, having a clear mind is perhaps the one thing that has been the most difficult part of bringing my “A-Game”.  Part of it has to do with rest – I’ve never been good at shutting down my mind to get some sleep – but a lot of it has been just the stressors of life that we do our best to forget for those few hours out on the ice, but can never really forget.  The last two seasons, despite great climbing partners and knowing I was physically up to the task, climbing well was never a given.  My spending time with great people and being fit made me feel good, but it wasn’t going to cure Emily’s cancer.

*****

I’m now two moves up the steep curtain.  It would be easy enough to bail from here… a couple of moves down to a ledge and I can just go home. My partner won’t care. He is equally as beat physically, and he gets it.  He was there visiting me while I spent the 6 weeks leading up to the season sitting with Emily as she lost her battle.  He was at the memorial service…

Swing… WHACK…. “MOTHER FUCKER!!!!”

A small watermelon has just exploded out and clocked me in the chin… I’m bleeding a bit  (and my jaw still hurts three days later). It’s settled. There’s no way I’m turning around now, and I’m going to the top.

My forearms and calves are not happy with my decision, but it was the right one.  We all hope to bring our “A-Game” each time we go out, but the reality is that it probably won’t happen.  In this case, I can take some comfort in knowing that despite not being anywhere close to having my “A-game” so far this season, I at least have a pretty satisfying “C/C+ Game”.

Nothing quite like feeling like you might puke on the approach…

UP!

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An eye in the sky for NEice

Meet our newest team members..King Kong (right) and WooKong.

I designed and built the WooKong to be light and simple so we can bring it where we like to go, UP! The King Kong is the heavy lifter and ready for anything.

I was inspired by the Mammut video celebrating 150 years. http://vimeo.com/50029357   The use of RC helicopters for photography quickly became my newest addiction.

I want to show the ice climbing in the Northeast the same way, from a perspective we are not use to.  I look forward to flying all winter to bring you the most spectacular images and movies I can capture.

We will be at the MountainFest Jan. 18-21, 2013 in the Adirondack’s for the grand unavailing of our efforts. Hope to see you there.

Doug Millen

PS…I want to send special thanks to team member Courtney Ley for all her help and enthusiasm. This project would not be the same without her.

 

Photos by Joel Dashnaw and Doug Millen