A Precautionary Message

Ice Climbing is extremely dangerous! This blog cannot warn or prepare you for all the hazards that you could experience climbing ice or any other features in the mountains. This blog is only one of the many places where limitless information is available and it certainly is not a substitute for proper training, risk management, judgment, equipment knowledge or wilderness/back country skills. Seek proper training before going ice or rock climbing so that you can stack the odds in your favor. Be safe and have fun out there!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

HOLD STEADY WEATHER!

This is Craig Finn.  He is the lead singer of one of my most favoritest bands, The Hold Steady.  These guys are known for their high tempo, jaw dropping, Springsteen infused high school party anthems.  I took Jess to see them at the Orange Peel in Asheville to a whooping crowd of about...100.  The important part was that we saw Black Diamond athlete and all around rock climbing hard person, Dave Sharrat and his lovely wife Anna at the show proving that The Hold Steady speaks, or rocks, to climbers.  Are you seeing the parallels yet? Ok, Ill keep working on it.

Jon Jones making Linville Gorge his bitch.
Enter ice season 2012-13.  Off to a slow start yes, finishing with a bang? Well hold steady people we are about to find out.   Seems like February has been the month.  Coming off a warm tail end of Jan the cold fronts slamming the mid west are starting to punch WNC in the gut.
Jean Claude Van-Damm getting real. 
Example?  This weekend in Highlands we are looking at a low of 29 on Friday with a High of 42, Sat. low of 23 with a high of 34 and Sunday low of 19 and high of 36.  Sunday would probably be OK and Monday would be even better.  What does this mean for you?  Roll the dice and try Starshine,Cinderella, or Coyote Ugly
Not the Coyote Ugly I had in mind but not a bad alternative if the ice is out. 

 As I type this my friends in the High Country are disowning me because Linville Gorge is the dark horse of NC ice.  Long adventurous days to potentially there ice flows may turn away most but you are guaranteed to get something out of it.  The water tables can be so out of whack there that one day the classics will be out and something obscure will be fat.  Case in point, I walked in to a reliable ice flow with my rope gun Jon Jones, and spotted a flow I had never seen before.  We were so confused that it was in that we decided to pass on it for a more reliable flow.  It ended up being good but on the way out the first one was melting out so we couldn't do it.  Strike while the iron is cold...or something like that.  Linville might be shaping up too.
Friday high 39 low 24,
Sat high 32 low 21
Sunday high 33 low 18.

For a super rad video of ice climbing in the gorge follow the link +Eric Crews 
http://landofskyadventures.com/216/
 
And for some ice climbing psych watch the video of my favorite party band.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h_L0QJb44Y

Remember people: Stay Positive and HOLD STEADY!

Love,
Phil
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