Even with New Bike @ Home I had to get one more ICE climbing weekend in this season.....

This weekend was up in Upper State New York again @ The DAK's. Up near lake Placid.

Jonathan W. + I drove up Friday afternoon @ 4:00 - woorst traffic I have seen in month between Hartford + Springfield. Must have been all the skiers heading north they finally got a few feet of snow last week.

Anyhow we get up to our Hotel and it's COLD -- I MEAN COLD below ZERO - So we planned on our 7:00 Am ICE climb knowing it would be a brutal cold start to the day. I'm guessing it was 5 Below zero when we hiked up to the Start of our first route of the day Multiplication Gully.

Jonathan working up the 2nd 1/2 of the climb the $$$$ Pitch. I did a short section just enough to get high enough so JDW could get to the top. The route is 225 feet long and our climbing ropes are 200 ' lg.

Shots of route from the road down below..

Later we went to Cascade pass + I lead Sisters left . I had a MINI EPIC during the climb more on that soon.... The line I took was the left most ice in this Pic following the natural groove up under a tree sticking out. More on that later !!!!!! This route was close to 150 tall .

Steve part-way up the route This was the 2nd CRUX the corner below to the left was very balancy to get past, with very little ICE .

A bit further up the route

The fun soon begins .. Hmmm if I push off with my left leg maybe I can get up higher ...

Next I duck under that tree sticking out of the ice. After this point things got very imtersting for SURE !!!!! A big chunk of ICE came off just above the dead tree sticking out and broke it off, As it tumbled below it hit the ropes and almost dragged me OFF. I heal on and got to finish the route with the Section of tree in my ropes causing all kinds of drag .

Jonathan on the next route we did .........

More Jonathan .............

Sunday - We went to the NORTH FACE of PITCHOFF ..........

Steve after taking off my sweaty shirts from the approach HIKE .... Gotta keep Dry in this sport or you will frezze to death later on the long COLD belays ... Weeping Winds from the bottom behind me.........

We did Weeping Winds below as our first climb Sunday: it was 3 pitches and 500' of climbing .

Gary if your reading this DON + KRISTINA showed up also - and Don did two Fantastic Leads the second on the right side of this Picture.. I think HIS BEST lead so far and a HUGE jump in ratings from what he has done so far ( it was I would say grade 4- ) and I'm sure his confidence will go up with this lead- GO Don GREAT JOB !!!!!!! Oh yeah Good Job climbing a very long steep route Kristina !!!!!!

Jonathan did a route up the center flow , and I did one up the ice on the left. I called it a adventure route as it went into sone trees but was still very verticle.

That was it for Sunday..

Monday we hade a great day planned but it started raining around 7-8:00 PM Sunday night and by AM it was 50 degree's and the ICE climbs were waterfalls . So we drove home buming we did not get to climb on Day 3 of our little ICE TRIP//////