Facing the Bard Head On -This was my third week climbing ice at Lee Vining Canyon with Gwen Linde. After leading single pitches on the Chouinard Wall and the Bard Harrington Wall. We decided it was time to climb all 3 or 4 pitches of Bard Harrington. The ice in the canyon is still in excellent condition. It's north facing exposure ensures that minimal sun reaches the wall. Nonetheless, it is still recommended to get an early start and avoid the left hand side during the afternoon. Gwen and I witnessed several large icicles detach around 3 pm two weeks ago.
We ended up splitting the route into four pitches, although we probably could have completed it in three. Luckily for me it meant splitting the crux pitch into two manageable pitches. The two middle pitches probably went at about WI 3+ or 4-, which was perfect for me.
Top photo: Bard Harrington Wall on the left, Main Wall in the center (kind of hard to see), and Chouinard Wall on the far right, which appears to be the favorite for mountaineering clubs.
Bottom photo: I'm following the first pitch on Bard Harrington.
2 comments:
I'm jealous Tom! No ice for me this winter... :( Guess I'm gonna have to try harder to put a big trip together next winter...
Maybe next winter we could do some Sierra climbing. The ice at Lee Vining is supposed to be pretty reliable for January and February. A typical spring break trip could include ice at Lee Vining, skiing in the Sawtooths, and rock climbing at Owen's River Gorge. Or if I save $$ we could climb at Ouray.
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