Conditions update, 02/15/2010
Hey Sports Fans, in the last two weeks the Saints won the Super Bowl, the Olympics are turning to slush in Vancouver - same trend as our ice season - and Spring has arrived in Western Washington. This will likely be one of my last updates unless something really remarkable happens. I'll post a season recap in a few weeks. Also with the fine weather forecast, this is a great time! to think about alpine ice objectives like Chair Peak and Cosley Houston on Colfax. Triple Couloirs and other Stuart-range climbs tend to come into shape later in the Spring, say mid-late March or April (I climbed Triple Couloirs first week of May one year) as the temperatures up above 6000 feet are still not above freezing, which means no melt-freeze to form alpine ice of any noteworthy quantity.
Shout out to to Shawn, John, and Parker for sticking with it the last couple weeks!

Methow Valley: As of 2/9 Goat Wall still had ice.
Leavenworth: I've got nothing.
Alpental: Flow Reversal in late-season (read: easy) shape has been climbed by several parties in the last couple weeks, including one of my climbing partners Rafael. Good times! Source Lake Line was also in, probably in 4 or 4+ shape. Lower down in the valley the ice is long gone, it's been too warm.
Strobach: On Jan 30th I hiked into Watchtower area with John Frieh in 3 hours from the car, starting from Tieton River road and taking the third approach option described in the book. Approach conditions were ok for the first half - boot packing - then unconsolidated powder the second half - snowshoes. Ice was very thin on all the climbs except the right-hand-most route, unclimbed, which was in some form of climbable though we did not try it. It was a nice day but I for one was pretty tired. A party of three from Portland went into Motherload the same day, also on foot, in around 3 hours from the car. Sad Ce'bu and Sudden Change of Plan, Dropline, and Ice Dreams were all in. First on the Left looking very thin at the bottom. Shawn from Yakima reported to me today, 2/16/10, from another foot-powered recon into the area. From his pics, Dropline, Ice Dreams, Bleeder Project, and some other routes still look climbable.


Some Strobach Pictures.

Strobach, Sudden Change of Plan and Sad Ce'bu, Dropline, and Ice Dreams most recent.
        

Strobach, Sudden Change of Plan and Sad Ce'bu on Jan 30.

Strobach, Dropline on Jan 30.

Conditions update, 01/29/2010
Not much to report. I've gotten two direct reports from some folks in the last few weeks, which doesnt bode that well. That said, there is still ice here and there. I've been surprised this year by how long some of the stuff is actually hanging in there, which emphasizes how strong our early season really was! Traditionally, our ice season ends around the second week of February: this is around the time when the temperature trends up a little bit, the days are longer so the sun exposure starts taking its toll, and our heaviest snows tend to come in Feb and March, making for good skiing but not great ice climbing at the passes. I've climbed good(!!) ice in Washington in the lowlands as late as second week in March, so there is still a chance a few things will hang around, but in general this has been a disappointing end to a strong start.

Methow Valley: The climbs on the right side of the Goat Wall are basically gone. The Standard and Coffee climbs looked climbable from below, however, so things in the shade are still hanging in there. It's been warm in the Methow these last few weeks, though.
Leavenworth: I've heard that basically everything low down in the Icicle is dangerous or just completely gone. Hubba Hubba might still be hanging in there, but was fairly melted out and rotten already last weekend.
Alpental: All the ice in the lower valley is pretty much running water now. I was up at Alpental last Sunday and it was a nice day, but crappy ski conditions. The upper valley is a bit different in terms of temperature profile (if one gains perhaps 500-1000 feet): Source Lake Line, Not Quite a Plum and the middle pitches of Flow Reversal are all in, with pics posted on cc.com. The things to think about with this weather are the lower-elevation alpine routes, such as N F Snoqualmie, and Chair. If you can get after them after a few days of no precip, that's probably best.
Strobach: There has been a report of ice visible on the cliffs from a distance, but to my knowledge no one has actually gone in.

Conditions update, 01/12/2010
Hey all, sorry for the delay in conditions, but like many of you I was so depressed by the rain that I resorted to playing video games. The warm, wet weather we have right now is fairly consistent all the way up to Lillooet, so by now any ice that remained in the lowlands on the West side of the Cascade crest or Fraser River valley has been washed away. The consolation is that, at least through this weekend, there were still pockets of easily accessible ice to be climbed.

Methow Valley: Fairly warm this weekend with temps on Sat around 30 and Sunday mid-30s. Cedar Creek Falls is barely in with decent amount of flowing water, and Gate Creek Falls thin but climbable. Most of the Goat Wall ice should still be in good nick.
Leavenworth: Hubba Hubba, Careno Left and Right, Rainbow Left and Right are all reported in. Craig climbed Madsen's Buttress - Corner Route as a mixed climb (WI3 5.7) several days ago. Millenium Wall was climbed about a week ago, 30m. Wet and Wild high up on the North side of the Icicle seems in. Drury still looks climbable from afar but I have not had any reports of it actually being climbed so far this year.
Mountaineers Creek Drainage: Not in as of 1/10/10.
Alpental: Lots of recent rain and snow. While it was cold last week, it is not cold now.
Chinook Pass: Horsetail Falls is out. Peekaboo in, Two Face is in.
Strobach: Not completely sure as no one went in this week but I doubt things have changed that much even with the warmer weather as the base elevation is at 4500. We'll call status quo Sad Ce'bu and Ice Dreams are in, at a minimum. Other climbs thin / forming. I might try to get up there this coming weekend.

Conditions update, 01/01/2010
Happy New Year! As the temps have warmed on the West side of the crest, focus generally shifts to Leavenworth, and other areas close to the mountains but on the East side of the crest. Thanks to Parker, Paul and the folks posting updates to cc.com.

Southwestern BC: West Coast Ice site has latest updates, but ice around Lillooet was as good as you need.
Mt Baker: PanDome is in and as fat as I've ever seen it.
Methow Valley: As of week before Christmas, Goat Wall ice was reported to be in good shape.
Mountain Loop Highway: Lake 22 Headwall is out.
Leavenworth: Hubba Hubba, Careno Left and Right, Rainbow Left and Right are all reported in. Chandelier was in a week ago but tends to be sensitive to temps and sun. Gill Creek Falls was in a week ago.
Mountaineers Creek Drainage: Forming.
Entiat: Climbs generally in.
Exit 38:CYA is out, it's now been too warm for a while.
Alpental:Kiddie Cliff is in. North Face and Northeast Buttress of Chair Peak are in. Alpental Falls and Alpental 2,3,4 are in/thin. Chockstone Falls is in. Not Quite a Plum is in. Tinkham Road had routes up by Humpback Mountain, visible from the road. I don't know personally how those fare with fresh snowfall.
Strobach: Sad Ce'bu and Ice Dreams are in, at a minimum. Other climbs thin / forming.

Conditions update, 12/19/2009
What a difference a week makes. Friday night it rained all night in Leavenworth, though much of the ice is still there, if not very healthy.

Leavenworth: In the Falls Creek drainage in Tumwater, Drury Falls is in and was attempted by three parties on Saturday morning. Two of those parties ended up getting pwned by the Wenatchee and one of those had to be rescued by Chelan Co swiftwater rescue. A formed route to the left of Drury Falls, looks to be WI5 at least, is in and is something new this year as far as I know. The Pencil is not in but trying to form. The route to the right of the Pencil, which to date has formed a few times, has seem some attempts, but has not seen a complete ascent (that I know of) is also forming. Up the Icicle the Careno falls are still hanging in there, might be sketchy leads. Rainbow Falls Right and Left are still in, and look ok. The Goatee is in and climbed Saturday. Hubba Hubba was in the clouds and I did not see it, but assume it's in if Rainbow still is there.
Entiat: Silver Falls is in, climbed by Craig and Denise G. Sounds like a difficult first pitch. What Do Ardevoirs Eat? is in.

Conditions update, 12/14/2009
Our very rare combination of very cold temps with little snow on the ground has made for a bounty of new routes as people ponied up and climbed just about anything they wanted to over the last week. Thanks to mails from Jens, Parker, John, Paul, Craig, Conor, and Jeff and everyone posting their fun times on cc.com too! Moisture has returned to our atmosphere today, which will likely change the playing field that we've all enjoyed these last two weeks. Forecast daytime highs at the passes look alot more seasonable for the next week, but not abysmally bad. Still, lots of snow and basically warmer weather on the way.

Mt Baker: PanDome is in. Cosley-Houston is in. Polish Route is in. Jeff and Shannon climbed a set of water ice routes formed by glacial meltwater at the base of the Roosevelt Glacier on Mt Baker, while others played on the seracs.
Methow Valley: As of 12/6 Goat Wall - Mr Coffee is in, Scimitar is barely in, nothing else.
Northeastern Washington: Conconully, Salmon Creek in since Oct. 11. Colville Reservation, numerous areas - report is nothing is in right now.
Mountain Loop Highway: Dry Creek Route on Big Four was climbed this past weekend, as was Silverton Sickle on Hall Peak. Onion Peel Waterfall on Pilchuck was climbed by rapping in from above on two 60s. Lake 22 Headwall was climbed via the West Couloir. Mark Hanna has climbed several other lines up here over the years, looks like a sweet area! Also, near Darrington in the Asbestos Creek drainage, the FA of another very long moderate route Pabst Smear.
Index: Bridal Veil Falls is in and climbed 12/12.
Lennox / Goat Basin Mark Hanna reports that he and friends climbed the FA of the frozen main drainage that drains Goat Basin on Lennox from the bottom of the valley to the upper cirque in 14 hours car-to-car. This is alot of ice at a moderate grade, likely on par with something like This House of Sky.
Lake Wenatchee: A long new route named Alpine Dropout climbed this weekend.
Leavenworth: Drury Falls is in and was climbed at least part-way by several parties. Pencil is not in. The Drip has touched down as of Sunday. Hubba Hubba is in in. Rainbow Falls Right and Left are in, with a new chain anchor installed at the top of Rainbow Left as well. The Goatee is in.
Blewett Pass: Gray Falls is in with several repeats. Craig hinted at this and Rolf confirmed he had repeated Gray Falls solo and also soloed the FA of Falls Creek Falls on Sat and returned with Bill Gaines for the FA of No Rest for the Wicked Sunday.
Exit 38:CYA is in and climbed Saturday. A pin down low leads to thin climbing and pro higher. With the rain however, this route is likely not going to be in much longer. Unnamed to the right of CYA (100 yards to the right up the first drainage) is in. There was also some ice at Amazonia on Saturday.
Alpental:Kiddie Cliff is in. North Face and Northeast Buttress of Chair Peak are in. Alpental Falls is in, Alpental 2,3,4 are in. Chockstone Falls is in. Source Lake Line is not really in but you can run up the ramp to the right and set up a mixed TR on the unformed pillar.
Ellensburg:Umptaneum is in. FA of Coleman Creek Falls by a party of three this week.
Vantage:Frenchman Falls is questionable. Fugs Falls and Running Gear Death Wall are not in (both dry).
Ancient Lake: Atkins Diet is in.
Banks Lake: Devils Punchbowl is in. Trotsky's climbs are in. Some of the short flows in Peewee's Playhouse are in. Other routes not in. The Emerald was bone dry.
Mt Rainier Area: Skookum is in.
Chinook Pass:Horsetail Falls is in and good now. Peekaboo in, Drowning Pool is in, Two Face is in. Union Creek Falls not in.
White Pass:Clear Creek Falls or something near it was climbed, overhanging ice for 60m.
Strobach: No one went into the climbs that I know of but they were scoped with binos and nothing seemed in yet.
Gorge Ice: Crown Jewel, Ainsworth Left lots of repeats.