CNS Ice Days - Starting Sunday Jan. 16/05

[Peter]

Conditions look good to climb next weekend. I would suggest Hall's Harbour, probably left if lots of people, or right if looking for some long and hard ice. How many are interested? Post a reply here if you are, so we can get a feel for numbers and experience. Spread the word, it is worth the day out.

The drill is this:

- meet at Steve-O-Reno's coffee shop on Brunswick Street in Halifax, one block north of Spring Garden, arriving when it opens at 8:00 a.m.. You can make alternate arrangements via email to me at mcveypc@gov.ns.ca and mcmac@hfx.eastlink.ca

- car pool from Steve-O-Reno's, leaving at 8:15 a.m. sharp. Please consider pitching in for gas if you can, but don't worry if you can't. Please email me if you can't possibly get there for 8:00 a.m..

- you will not be home before about 7:00 p.m., unless you make arrangements to come back earlier. We climb until dark, high tide, or total pump sets in.

- bring personal gear to stay warm in cold weather, plus water and food. It is cold and breezy on the Bay of Fundy, so don't be fooled by Halifax conditions. A face mask never hurts. Cotton kills, etc. (see Teth's post).

- if you have ice or general climbing gear, bring it. Climbers should bring or arrange to share a helmet, boots, ice picks, harness. No rock protection required. Long slings (10m +) won't go to waste, if you have them.

- good gloves are a must for climbing, and bring some warm fleeze mitts or gloves, in case your primary pair gets wet (water continues to flow well below zero).

- the weather looks good for the week, but if things go to rat flowers on the weekend (warm, wet weather), we may have to scratch or move the day to Saturday. Please watch this site for changes, which may arise up until Saturday evening.

As for the liability stuff, please note that Ice Days are not instructional courses, and CNS does not ensure or insure you in any way again harm. There are real risks in ice climbing (particularly from ice or rock fall), but we each do our best to keep each other safe as members of a climbing community. It is strictly a peer-safety, "no lifeguard in the tower" event.

The format is top-roping at known locations, with more experienced ice climbers setting up the anchors, demonstrating climbing and belaying. Everyone there that day take turns climbing on multiple top-ropes, with routes of different difficulty. Lead climbing is done by those that want to and believe they are up to the task. Complete novices are welcome to top-rope, but some knowledge of basic climbing hardware (ie harnesses, tie in) is necessary. Some areas require a rappel in or climb out (or walk around and early departure), but most are very accessible.

CNS owns ropes, helmets (three), crampons (two pairs) and ice axes (one pair). Individuals attending often have extra gear, and lend gear as needed (I have two extra harnesses and a spare helmet, for example). The CNS alpine crampons fit most rigid/steel shank hiking boots, and the step-ins many plastic ski boots and all plastic climbing boots. I believe MEC still rents plastics.

Hope to see you there! email me for more info, with questions, or to say you are coming, so we will know to look out for you.

Peter McVey (CNS Board Member and Ice Days Organizer)

[rendog]

yeah peter I'll be there as you know.

I'll meet you guys out there, and maybe head out earlier since I'm a bit closer and get a few TR anchors ready for the crowds (hopefully there will be crowds), just call me on my cell in the Am and let me know how many are planning on coming etc.

when i head up there on tues/wed for some more "exploration", I'll actually remember to bring my camera and not leave it in the car this time.
hehehehehe

Darran

[Peter]

Cameras are nice, but "never leave a man behind", and that includes when you are exploring. Stay safe. Peter

[Peter]

Kentville conditions should be fine for ice Sunday, despite the warm weather on Friday. See:

http://www.meteo.ec.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?XKT

The ice will be solid from the freeze Saturday, Saturday night, and with Sunday temps. The warm spell Friday will not knot down the big ice seen last weekend.

Who is up for some ice on Sunday? Looks like a half-dozen bodies, or are we each going our own way?

Peter

[shannon]

Peter,

I took part in one ice climb event last year, and had a blast. I am interested in coming down again. perhaps the last weekend of January to join you all. This time around, I have a brand-new set of Petzl dartwins to have people try out. I'd like to talk with you about this. What is your email address? I'm at smburt@edu.pe.ca

shannon Burt

[rendog]

so are we decided on Hall's Harbour then? left/right? I'll meet you at the parking lot there where we were before.

oh and BTW peter, i found the driveway to that house on the cliff and the people are quite frendly to ice climbers. I'm not so sure how they'd react to a posse showing up there, however they were very frendly to me when i was there solo on Tues, (neverclimbed since the tides were being totally unco-operative. I'm thinking I'll leave my place at 8:30 so maybe i can start getting things set up for when you get there. Anchors etc. over some of the larger flows on the climbers right of the harbour

let me know

Darran

[Peter]

Darren:

Early set up would be great. I would say walk right toward the bigger ice, out of fear that some of the smears left will have lost a fair amount of depth on Friday. Most of the folks that have contacted me (about ten) have previous ice experience, so let's go for the bigger stuff, eh?

High tide is after 4:15 a.m., and the next high tide at 4:45 p.m., so early set up will help get us going immediately.

I expect the main posse will arrive around 10:15 at Hall's Harbour, and take a half hour to get organized and over to the ice.

Hope to consider zipping over with you to the line you eyed closer to Baxter's. We can walk there and back on the beach around lunch, before the tide comes back.

Peter

[rendog]

Hope to consider zipping over with you to the line you eyed closer to Baxter's. We can walk there and back on the beach around lunch, before the tide comes back.

Peter

HELL YEAH MAN!

that little plumb has been in my dreams since i saw it. tired to get on it on tues, but the tides were uncooperative. I'd feel better if you were with me anyways for the FA. since it was you that showed me where these climbs were.

[Peter]

So, we beat the blizzard but not the tide. Not bad!

Twelve people out and climbing yesterday, good numbers for the first CNS Ice Day.

Hall's Harbour conditions were only moderate, but we climbed the bigger flows to the right, setting up three top-ropes. The ice was wet in areas, not touching the ground in others, but more than adequate for climbing.

One route was short and sweet and much used, one moderate and refreshingly wet, and the other long and pumpy. A knee deep dash in the icy Bay of Fundy cooled down some hot feet at days end.

Conditions look good for next week, although the tides are awkward (in a different way, high tide at 10:45 a.m. Sunday). Perhaps Hall's Harbour left, starting at "Gate 49", where anchors can be set up without requiring any beach access?

Thanks to all for coming out and helping make this a great start to the season.

Peter