Can't stop Dustin! Climbing Hidden Falls in Eastern Oregon's Owyhee Mountains
Despite the strange weather and sometimes bizarre conditions in the mountains this winter, we've been getting a steady stream of reports from our team members as they get after it.
Dustin Fric checked in with a quick e-mail which made us tired just reading. Dustin is one of the most stoked ice climbers ever:
Ice season started strong and early on October 15th with an early season 50 day trip to Alaska. We climbed in Portage, Aklutna Canyon,The Alaska Range, Nabesna,The Chugach Range and Whittier. After one week of rest it was off to Montana to climb some classics in Hyalite and judge at the Bozeman Ice Festival which expanded to the U.I.A.A. North American Open Ice Climbing Championships. Since then I have been focusing on abstact Waterfalls in Idaho and in Eastern Oregon.
Read Aaron Montgomery's blog post about his Korean Ice Climbing World Cup competition experience and his recent decision not to go to the Olympics in Sochi.
Chris Kalman continues to send in Cochamo and you can follow his journey here.
Marcus Donaldson sent us this update, proving that you can live in Portland and climb and bunch of ice:
It has been an exciting winter so far to take advantage of rare conditions and visit some new locales. An early season dash up the Lowe Direct on Montana's Sphinx set the tone right out of the gate. Two subsequent trips into the Colorado's San Juan mountains have yielded ascents of fun classics like the Talisman, Birdbrain Boulevard and the infrequent Telluride prize 'Sapphire Bullets of Pure Ice'. Then recently we traveled into SW British Columbia to explore Bull River Canyon and stand atop Gibraltar Wall above the Kootenay River.