daxegraphix
New member
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2004
- Messages
- 46
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- 2
This was the biggest and best slide that I've ever done. I would not do this one in summer. I would be soiling myself over in the cripplebush. The traction yesterday was excellent. Soft snow on top with hard base about 6" down. Even the ice was a little mushy making for great footing.
As I changed from snowshoes to crampons down at the base of the slides, I got that feeling of dread. What the hell, how the hell am I going to get up there? The slides were just a bright glare of ice and snow looking up into the sun. Another hiker came along who was going up the trail to the top. As he peeled off into the woods I felt kind of "oh crap" as I headed up the broad icy base.
I'm glad I had been on other slides this winter and have started to be able to read some of the features of a slide. Like the water flows that run under the ice. There are some pretty deep holes in those sections, especially now that stuff is melting quickly. I'm learning which kind of snow veins to follow and which kind are mini crevasses with water flow.
Anyway, I plugged my way up in a hunched over, flat footed posture for most of the slide. I guess that speaks to the angle of most of it. I fell into a rhythm of ax, step, step, ax, step, step. On the steeper parts I did that with two hands on the head of the ax, spearing it down a foot or so and taking two steps towards it.
About 3/4 the way up I took a dive into the cripplebush to get around a wicked looking section of pure ice. I know it's chicken__it, but this slide has more exposure than I was comfortable with at that particular section. The snow in the bush was pleasantly consolidated or crusty down about a foot or so, and I was able to get through the 50 feet or so to get back to the slide.
I was thinking that if I spent any more time in the bush I would lose my nerve and not want to go back out on the slide.
Well I must have lost a little bit, because the rest of the way up the slide I was talking to myself as though I were someone else. Stuff like, "you can do this, it's no steeper than anything else you've climbed, just take your time, focus on each foothold--and don't look down." Well I did look down a couple times, with a slow turn of my head and a sideways glance. Darn. I have this image in my brain of little bits of snow flying down the ice for ...well, a heck of a long way to the bottom. I gotta go to work. Mo later.
First, to the replies: Yes, the other hiker made it up and down faster. He was sunning himself on the summit when I got there, and he streaked past me on the way down. In summer--not me. Hats off to all who slide climb in summer.
Anyway, The last section really is not too steep. It reminded me of the west summit of Gothics. The exposure is the thing. I was stoked to be finishing the slide out on the slide and not in the bush. Once in the bush at the top I adopted the crawling technique where your lower legs become snowshoes. I must've looked like mini me coming up to the first set of rocks above the slide.
A short dance through the upper sections of cripplebush and you hit the trail.
All in all, it was a great last hike of the season for me. No real mud or bugs or any of that stuff. I like to remember the peaks in winter.
Is it my imagination or do a lot of slides have some sort of a small headwall section about 7/8 the way up? Above that a small section of not so steep before the woods begin? It almost seems like the real "slide" began at those headwalls and what's above it maybe just got sucked down with the rest after it gave way...?
As I changed from snowshoes to crampons down at the base of the slides, I got that feeling of dread. What the hell, how the hell am I going to get up there? The slides were just a bright glare of ice and snow looking up into the sun. Another hiker came along who was going up the trail to the top. As he peeled off into the woods I felt kind of "oh crap" as I headed up the broad icy base.
I'm glad I had been on other slides this winter and have started to be able to read some of the features of a slide. Like the water flows that run under the ice. There are some pretty deep holes in those sections, especially now that stuff is melting quickly. I'm learning which kind of snow veins to follow and which kind are mini crevasses with water flow.
Anyway, I plugged my way up in a hunched over, flat footed posture for most of the slide. I guess that speaks to the angle of most of it. I fell into a rhythm of ax, step, step, ax, step, step. On the steeper parts I did that with two hands on the head of the ax, spearing it down a foot or so and taking two steps towards it.
About 3/4 the way up I took a dive into the cripplebush to get around a wicked looking section of pure ice. I know it's chicken__it, but this slide has more exposure than I was comfortable with at that particular section. The snow in the bush was pleasantly consolidated or crusty down about a foot or so, and I was able to get through the 50 feet or so to get back to the slide.
I was thinking that if I spent any more time in the bush I would lose my nerve and not want to go back out on the slide.
Well I must have lost a little bit, because the rest of the way up the slide I was talking to myself as though I were someone else. Stuff like, "you can do this, it's no steeper than anything else you've climbed, just take your time, focus on each foothold--and don't look down." Well I did look down a couple times, with a slow turn of my head and a sideways glance. Darn. I have this image in my brain of little bits of snow flying down the ice for ...well, a heck of a long way to the bottom. I gotta go to work. Mo later.
First, to the replies: Yes, the other hiker made it up and down faster. He was sunning himself on the summit when I got there, and he streaked past me on the way down. In summer--not me. Hats off to all who slide climb in summer.
Anyway, The last section really is not too steep. It reminded me of the west summit of Gothics. The exposure is the thing. I was stoked to be finishing the slide out on the slide and not in the bush. Once in the bush at the top I adopted the crawling technique where your lower legs become snowshoes. I must've looked like mini me coming up to the first set of rocks above the slide.
A short dance through the upper sections of cripplebush and you hit the trail.
All in all, it was a great last hike of the season for me. No real mud or bugs or any of that stuff. I like to remember the peaks in winter.
Is it my imagination or do a lot of slides have some sort of a small headwall section about 7/8 the way up? Above that a small section of not so steep before the woods begin? It almost seems like the real "slide" began at those headwalls and what's above it maybe just got sucked down with the rest after it gave way...?
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