Desert Ice

Ice climbing always gives me a giddy kind of nervous excitement. It’s a very strange sport—climbing something that might not have been there last week, might not be there next week, and might decide to stop being a solid thing while you’re on it. Combine that with the simple undeniable beauty of climbing a frozen waterfall, and it’s easy to see why people fall in love with it.

Of all the days I’ve had ice climbing, this Friday with Jason may have been the most fun. We went down to Joe’s Valley to see what was in, and ended up climbing three of the classics. We started with a quick run up Deadbolt, which has a fun ice-scramble approach up a frozen creek followed by a WI4 curtain. Then we got to the base of CCC Falls, which is normally a chill WI3 romp. But this time, it had a pillar touching down that was small enough for me to hug, and a top pitch that was vertical for 35 feet. Both gave this normally mellow climb a really fun flavor.

Then, we got to the heart of the matter. Well, first we got my truck super stuck and dug it out, but after that we hiked across the field, watching deer run effortlessly as we punched in to our knees, and arrived at the base of the Donorcicle. This is a climb that has intimidated me for a long time. It’s a long, steep pillar that often forms with all kinds of weird cauliflower and chandelier features, making it complicated to climb and protect. But, I figured I would never know if I didn’t try, so I tied, started up, and ticked another classic off my list after 45 minutes of slow, controlled, delicate climbing. After that, I came down with an acute case of overstoker, which lasted for the entire drive home.