Ice climbing at Loch Vale with Jay R. – 12/30/11
Jay and I have been climbing together for a few years now so whenever we’re out together it’s like “olde times.” Despite the brutal and fatal winds, we decided to stick with our plan of climbing at the Loch Vale ice area up in RMNP. Getting out of the car at the TH proved to be one of the bigger challenges of the day. Hurricane-force winds have a tendency to do that, stripping a climber of all motivation. The forecast wasn’t pretty but we made a go of it anyway and, as so often happens, fortune favors the bold: we had a great day of climbing!
It’s been a number of months since Jay was last climbing so we started on the easy “Mo’ Flo’ Than Go,” which Jay quickly and easily demolished under a flurry of well-placed ice tool placements. After a couple laps, we climbed the easier upper tier of the same route to get in some rope-work/descending practice for Jay. Next, we climbed a few variations on and near “Crystal Meth,” a longer, steeper, harder route just a couple hundred feet away. Blood stains spattering the ice from a previous climber’s battle gave the climb an intimidating feel but, in the end, Jay emerged unscathed.
Arms flaming, calves pumping and…what’s this, hot? Yes, the winds had died down and temps were downright balmy for ice climbing. We ended the day with a couple laps on the better-than-it-sounds “Lochluster” route. On our way back to the main trail, we met our friends Victoria and Cory (the only other climbers we saw all day). In the end, the weather cooperated and we had another awesome day of ice climbing in the Park.
