facebookFiled under: Head Chick's Corner | Tags: Head Chick, ice climbing, Kim Reynolds, soloing, women's climbing, women's ice climbing
Stairway to Heaven
The ice climbing season is quickly coming to an end with an unseasonably warm stretch of weather. Drat, I hate to see my favorite sport melting away. My last climb on my San Juan backcountry tic list for this season is Stairway to Heaven outside of Silverton. Mr. X and I had tried to climb it together but two feet of snow and high avalanche danger kept us away a few weeks before. In celebration of getting my ice climbing grrrr back, I decided to solo it. I haven’t soloed anything this long so I was excited to be there by myself with that intense presence and focus I love so much. It took a little over an hour to climb it and walk off back to my pack. The ice was soft and starting to get drippy, yup, it’s time to hang up my tools.
For me, soloing (climbing un-roped & alone) magnifies the fine line between the edge of the abyss and of life itself. As a climber, skier and kayaker…I have walked on that edge for thirty years and I have seen many friends fall off into the darkness of death. The awareness of the fragility of life is always with me.
Filed under: Head Chick's Corner | Tags: Bridalveil Falls, Chicks Ice Climbing, Head Chick, ice climbing, Kim Reynolds, Mr.X, Telluride CO
Bridalveil Falls
It’s been 11 years since I’ve climbed Bridalveil Falls in Telluride and back then, I didn’t lead the difficult 2nd pitch. For some reason, the climb has always intimidated me and for years it was closed, making it illegal to climb. This San Juan classic is now open to climbers and it sees ascents almost daily. It was the climb on my 50th year hit list that I most anticipated because for some unknown reason, I had decided that leading all of Bridalveil was something I didn’t want or have to do. But now that I was getting my grrr back…that perspective changed.
Mr. X and I headed up for the second shift on March 11th with a guided party ahead of us. As we walked up to the climb the beginning of the route wasn’t obvious to either of us and I kept staring at it wondering if I’d actually get on it. The party coming off happened to be good friends and we got a little beta which helped my confidence… at least I knew where to go. We got on the climb around 2:00 PM for the second shift, which was perfect.
Putting in a screw on the 2nd pitch
This year, both the first and second pitch proved to have some interesting climbing on it and to my surprise, I actually had a lot of fun leading it. Poor Mr. X got a scare right off the bat when I took off on the first pitch and my crampons skidded out from under me, on what we now refer to as the “gerbil ramp”. Luckily after that (not so) impressive start, I got my act together and enjoyed weaving my way through the ice on this sometimes convoluted route. As the belayer, you can only see the leader on the first few feet of each pitch – so to reassure my nervous partner, I yelled down occasionally to let Mr. X know how I was doing. I remember saying two things: “I’m having fun” and “watch me, this is tricky”, the irony being that he couldn’t actually “watch me” at all. That about sums it all up.
Kim & Mr. X
Climbing is an intense internal dance and I love holding it together while solving the pieces to the puzzle as I go. The complete and total focus of that moment, the camaraderie and trust of my climbing partner makes for a powerful shared experience. When Mr. X reached the top of the first pitch, we made eye contact and he said to me “who are You?” Now that I think of it, I often wonder that myself.
Filed under: Head Chick's Corner | Tags: backcountry skiing, Crested Butte, ice climbing, Kim Reynolds, Ouray Ice Park, Red Lady Ball
Crested Butte Ski Buddy
Besides skiing & climbing, I love to dance and with this knowledge my girlfriend Alison invited me to the Red Lady Ball in Crested Butte. Since I love to do-it-all, going from a soft shell to a strappy red dress is my version of the perfect contrast. I even got a ‘Red Lady Transport’ from my cop friend, Mr. X (names have been changed to protect the innocent), who now also poses as my belay slave. Sweet.
Warming up in the Ice Park
After a fun night on the town, the next day proved to be one of best ski days I’ve ever had at a ski area. It didn’t hurt to get the insiders tour from Alison (my ripping ski buddy) and five other locals until my legs were absolute noodles by the end of the day. My nearly perfect weekend ended with a backcountry ski with Mr. X’s good friend Steve before heading to Ouray that afternoon to get a lap in under the bridge in the Ice Park. My warm up for leading Bridalveil the next day.
Filed under: Head Chick's Corner | Tags: Chicks Ice Climbing, Eureka CO, Kim Reynolds, Sandy Heise, Whorehouse Hose, women's climbing, women's ice climbing
1st Pitch (photo: Sandy Heise)
Whorehouse Hose is another San Juan classic that is tucked up in one of those really cool places deep in a narrow canyon. You can see the first pitch from the road, but the rest is always a bit of a mystery as it steps up and meanders to the third pitch several hundred feet above. I love being there tucked away, out of site and out of mind. It’s places like this that first drew me to the aesthetic beauty of ice climbing.
I ventured here with my X-office assistant, Sandy Heise, since Mr. X was off doing his Cop thing in Crested Butte. Besides, I do love climbing with the girls! Especially Sandy after having shared plenty of office time together at the Chicks with Picks head quarters, it was fun to get her out to play! Sandy left the job three years ago after falling in love with a man from Durango…sweet. I’ve missed her calm presence amidst the chaos of the never-ending to do list that being self- employed offers.
Photo: Sandy Heise
The first pitch was really thin and I could see the water rushing underneath it about an inch away at times. The climbing was so delicate and fragile that I was grateful that I am relatively light at 110 pounds. The first pitch is an honest full rope length followed by a small snow field and easy 2nd pitch that was a snow ramp. Then you have to walk a little ways to third pitch around the corner. This pitch looks so different each time I’ve climbed it, this time it was easy with a lot of small ledges for some super fun climbing. Two rappels and you are down. Great day out with a good friend.
Filed under: Read the Gossip | Tags: Chicks with Picks, Chicks with Picks 2010 clinic dates, Clinic Dates, ice climbing, women's climbing, women's ice climbing
March 5, 2009
Since our clinics fill up fast, here are the dates for our 2010 women’s ice climbing clinics:
Totally Chick: Monday 1/11 – check out Sat 1/16 (4 climbing days)
The Complete: Sunday 1/24 – check out Fri 1/29 (4 climbing days)
The Betty Ice Ball: Friday 1/29 – check out Mon 2/1 (2 climbing days, ½ day clinics)
The Sampler: Monday 2/1 – check out Friday 2/5 (3 climbing days)
www.chickswithpicks.net for more information
