conditions2002

2002/2003 s.e. ice Conditions

I am going to keep archiving all of the conditions for each year. I hope that after several years that I will be able to compare the data and notice trends to be better able to predict when we should have ice. I know betting on weather is goofy but it would be nice to know when the highest probability for local ice is so that I can plan my out of town trips when there are low probabilities of local ice and be at home when it should be good. If you have any additional info from journals or camera records please let me know. Even after the fact, more data is more better.

SATURDAY: 1 MARCH 2003

IT LOOKS LIKE THE SEASON IS CLOSED HERE IN THE SOUTHEAST. I HAVE HEARD THERE IS SOME ICE LEFT IN KENTUCKY AND WEST VIRGINIA BUT HAVE NO CONFIRMATION. IF ANYONE CAN SEND ME SOME BETA FOR UP THERE I WILL JUMP IN THE TRUCK AND CHECK IT OUT.

TUESDAY: 18 FEBRUARY 2003

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: No Report.

Rabun Bald: No report.

Yonah: All gone.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Was still up on Thursday of last week but do not know present condition.

Hwy. 215: All the big routes are laying in the road. Some of the small boulder problems remain.

Winding Stair: No report.

Graveyard Fields: No report.

THE RAIN LAST WEEK AND OVER THE WEEKEND HAS DESTROYED ALL OF THE ICE I HAVE CHECKED OUT THUS FAR. I AM NOT SURE ABOUT ALL OF THE AREAS SO I NEED ANYONE WITH ANY BETA TO E-MAIL ME. I HAVE HEARD THAT THERE IS STILL GOOD CLIMBING IN THE BOONE AREA AND THE MT. MITCHELL VICINITY BUT HAVE NO CONFIRMATION. I WAS UNABLE TO GET OUT THIS WEEKEND SO UNLESS I GET SOME INFO FROM OTHERS I CAN'T BE OF MUCH HELP.

MONDAY: 10 FEBRUARY 2003

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: The road to Hogpen has been closed since last Thursday. As soon as it reopens I will let ya'll know how it is.

Rabun Bald: No new report.

Yonah: North face is in fair shape.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Starshine is still in but not sure about other stuff. Need more info.

Hwy. 215: I counted six or seven leadable lines by my standards there this weekend. Don't go camp out on a climb with a toprope and hack it to death. Be respectful.

Winding Stair: Has taken a beating but is still hanging on. There are a couple of leadable route on the far right side. The topouts are thin and covered in snow so use caution. There are a few taller toprope options available also

Graveyard Fields: In real good shape. As of Sunday there was 10+ inches of snow on the road and more was falling as we left. They were predicting several more inches. The walk takes about two hours in the snow, 1.5 hours to ski and a mountain bike with studded tires can make it if there has not been too much new snow.

Daughton Park: No report.

Back Country: No new reports.

MONDAY: 03 FEBRUARY 2003

HERE IS ALL I KNOW AT PRESENT: AS OF SUNDAY STARSHINE WAS STILL IN. IT IS FLOWING A GOOD DEAL OF WATER BUT IS O.K. HWY. 215 IS REALLY THIN AND HACKED OUT. THE COMBINATION OF THE WARMTH AND HIGH TRAFFIC HAS TAKEN ITS TOLL. winding stair gap was holding on but really soft.

I KNOW NOTHING ELSE FOR SURE EXCEPT THAT IT HAS BEEN WARM AND RAINY. TEMPS GO BACK DOWN TOMORROW SO WHATEVER HOLDS ON THROUGH THEN SHOULD BE GETTING BETTER. SOMEONE PLEASE SEND SOME REPORTS. REALLY INTERESTED TO KNOW IF THE HEAT AFFECTED THE BOONE AREAS.

TUESDAY: 28 JANUARY 2003

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: The only climbs here are the three short boulder problems on the upper left end.

Rabun Bald: Too cold, the water is not flowing and all the routes are fat at the top but do not even come close to touching the ground yet but is getting closer.

Yonah: North face is in good shape. Still too sunny for Xanadu to form.

Lake Lanier: Glade falls came in for one morning and fell before noon. If it is less than 10 degrees in the morning look for two routes to form on the right side.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Starshine is way freakin fat. East face is still not in. Scotch is not in either. The big three pitch grade 4 that can be seen in the valley from Starshine is in. The freestanding column on the second pitch is fragile so be careful. Three Stooges Gulley is in and so is the waterfall on the Starshine trail. All of the high volume stuff is good the seeps are bad.

Hwy. 215: Several leadable options here but much of the steeper stuff is staying too hacked up by topropers to form properly. If you must take large groups here do not let each member of your party do a individual climb more than a couple of times. Save some ice for the next folks.

Winding Stair: Good Shape. At least 5 leadable lines and lots of toprope options.

Graveyard Fields: Still in really good shape. Most mornings the gate has been closed at Hwy. 215 so be prepared for a 6 to 7 mile approach.

Daughton Park: In good shape. Smaller climbs are in. Big Daddy is leadable.

Back Country: Some stuff is in, others are not. If you are a true "old timer" and know me personally then e-mail me for a private report. Will trade beta for beta.

thursDAY: 23 JANUARY 2003

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: The only climbs here are the three short boulder problems on the upper left end. At 2:30 p.m. today it was 7 degrees with 40 m.p.h. winds. It is so cold here that the ground water is locked up and the ice is not forming properly.

Rabun Bald: Too cold, the water is not flowing and all the routes are fat at the top but do not even come close to touching the ground yet.

Yonah: North face is in good shape. Still too sunny for Xanadu to form.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Starshine is fat but that is all. East face is still not in. Scotch is not in either.

Winding Stair: Good Shape. At least 5 leadable lines and lots of toprope options.

Graveyard Fields: Still in really good shape. Most mornings the gate has been closed at Hwy. 215 so be prepared for a 6 to 7 mile approach.

Daughton Park: In good shape. Smaller climbs are coming in. Big Daddy is leadable.

Back Country: Some stuff is on others are not. If you are a true "old timer" and know me personally then e-mail me for a private report.

MONDAY: 20 JANUARY 2003

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Road closed at present but routes should be in good shape by now.

Rabun Bald: Too cold, the water is not flowing and all the routes are fat at the top but do not even come close to touching the ground yet.

Yonah: North face is in good shape. Too sunny for Xanadu to form.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Starshine is fat but that is all. East face is still not in. Scotch is not in either.

Winding Stair: Good Shape. At least 5 leadable lines and lots of toprope options.

Graveyard Fields: In really good shape. Most mornings the gate has been closed at Hwy. 215 so be prepared for a 6 to 7 mile approach.

Daughton Park: No new report but should be good. Someone let me know.

Back Country: Some stuff is on others are not. If you are a true "old timer" and know me personally then e-mail me for a private report.

THURSDAY: 16 JANUARY 2003

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Still thin but a few better toprope possibilities.

Rabun Bald: Thin but should be decent by first of next week.

Yonah: Coming in.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Starshine is fat but that is all. East face is still not in. Scotch is not in either.

Hwy. 215: Thin with several toprope options. Top roperes are hacking it down faster than it can form here.

Winding Stair: No report.

Graveyard Fields: In good shape. Most mornings the gate has been closed at Hwy. 215 so be prepared for a 6 to 7 mile approach.

Daughton Park: No new report.

MONDAY: 13 JANUARY 2003

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Thin but a few toprope possibilities.

Rabun Bald: No report.

Yonah: No report.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Starshine is fat. East face is not in.

Hwy. 215: Thin with several toprope options.

Winding Stair: No report.

Graveyard Fields: In fairly decent shape. Most mornings the gate has been closed at Hwy. 215 so be prepared for a 6 to 7 mile approach.

Daughton Park: No new report.

MONDAY: 6 JANUARY 2003

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Thin but a few toprope possibilities.

Rabun Bald: Not in.

Yonah: Some thin options on the North face..

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Nothing really climbable.

Hwy. 215: Several lines are in. The best conditions in the S.E. at present.

Winding Stair: Nada

Graveyard Fields: Some of the shorter routes survived the big thaw.

Doughton Park: The main climb is in.

MONDAY: 16 DECEMBER 2002

I WENT OUT LOOKING SATURDAY MORNING AND DIDN'T FIND SQUAT. LAST WEEKS RAIN BROUGHT ALL THE NORMAL STUFF DOWN. I DON'T HAVE A REPORT ON DAUGHTON YET SO DON'T KNOW IF IT ESCAPED THE WRATH OF THE RAIN. THERE WAS A NICE DUSTING OF SNOW AND MORE FALLING AT HOGPEN SO I SPENT THE DAY HIKING THOUGH THE SNOW ON THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL.

MONDAY: 9 DECEMBER 2002

NORTH CAROLINA

Daughton Park: The big lower climb is in but somewhat thin on the bottom and the top. The upper rim was in very good condition with plenty of good lines.

SUNDAY: 8 DECEMBER 2002

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Once again this is some of the best ice in the South. We did the full tour today starting in N.C. and ended up playing with the pigs again. One leadable route and the bolted mixed routes are in reasonable shape.

Yonah Mountain: North side routes are looking decent from the road.

Rabun Bald: Nada.

Black Rock Mtn: North face routes are coming in. Note: Climbing is illegal in Black Rock State Park so hiking and viewing is all you can cop to.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Starshine has fallen out but Mother Russia survived the big melt and is coming back. The best options are the headwall at the top of Scotch on the Rocks where we scratched out three routes. Some of the ice on the East face survived and is healing.

Hwy. 215: Ice is poor. This area is seeing a thermal inversion and it is 18 degrees warmer at the top of the gap than down on Hwy. 64. Graveyard fields is also nothing but verglass and sunshine at present.

Winding Stair Gap: Ice is very poor. Not worth even a drive by at this point.

FRIDAY: 6 DECEMBER 2002

THE SEVERE ICE STORM THAT WAS PREDICTED GOT A GOOD START THEN IT WARMED UP TO 33 DEGREES AND STARTED RAINING. NOTHING HAS SURVIVED EXCEPT FOR THE SHELL OF WHAT WAS MOTHER RUSSIA. HOGPEN IS DOWN, WINDING STAIR IS DOWN, 215 IS WHACK AND SO IS WHITESIDES. MAYBE WITH ALL THE WATER AND COLD MORNINGS WE WILL HAVE THE START OF IT AGAIN BY SUNDAY/MONDAY. I'LL BE OUT LOOKING THEN BUT I WILL BE AT THE BOATROCK BOULDERING COMP TOMORROW. CHECK OUT www.seclimbers.org FOR DETALS.

WEDNESDAY: 4 DECEMBER 2002

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Ice is in good shape but I expect the D.O.T. to close the road by lunch today and it will be Friday at earliest, if then, before it is reopened.

Yonah Mountain: North side routes are coming in but you must approach by walking up the road. A four mile uphill hump for Grade 2 climbs.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: Starshine is in and has seen multiple ascents. Mother Russia is getting close. Someone send me some more beta please.

Hwy. 215: Ice is getting decent. Good toproping and leading possible in the next day or so.

WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDER A WINTER STORM WARNING AND IT IS ALREADY SNOWING AND SLEETING IN NORTH GEORGIA, NORTH CAROLINA AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THE PREDICTED LOWS TEMPS IN N.E. GA ARE PREDICTED IN THE LOW 20'S FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. EVERYTHING SHOULD BE GOOD BY SATURDAY AND THROUGH THE FIRST OF NEXT WEEK FOR SURE. I MAY NOT POST AGAIN UNTIL MY ARMS FALL OFF FROM SWINGING. WILL TRY TO UPDATE BRIEFLY THOUGH.

SATURDAY: 30 NOVEMBER 2002

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Friday was a good day for wallowing with the pigs. Big Wall was waiting on me and Steggo showed up later. There were multiple routes in top ropeable shape and even a leadable route. Today it warmed up and did a fair amount of damage to the climbs. With the lows being in the high teens to low twenties in the morning and Monday it should be recovering quickly. There will probably be no leadable routes there tomorrow but some top roping will be possible but please don't hack it beyond repair for Monday. By then there should be a couple of leadable routes.

Rabun Bald: Still several days away from any significant ice.

Yonah: Some top rope options on the north face.

NORTH CAROLINA

Whitesides: The climbs above the parking lot in the Scotch on the Rocks area are not in. Starshine is touching the ground but the first pitch is very thin. Probably not leadable but will have better beta tomorrow as that is where we are going to climb. Mother Russia is touching the ground but the upper sickle is not touching yet.

Hwy. 215: Very thin but with tomorrow and Mondays cold weather some good top roping possibilities should form and leadable routes should appear by Tuesday.

Winding Stair Gap: There was one group top ropeing there today but it was very thin. Tonights cold should really help it and by Tuesday there is a possibility for leadable routes.

TUESDAY: 26 NOVEMBER 2002

Two days of near 70 degree weather has destroyed what little ice we had. The temps are supposed to drop again on Wednesday so we may get our traditional post Thanksgiving ice climbing weekend.

MONDAY: 25 NOVEMBER 2002

Hogpen Gap: This morning there was some good traversing and a couple of boulder problems left. The two best routes had been chopped down by two sets of gumby topropers that showed up to climb at 9:30 after the sun had hit the climbs and hacked them down like it was free. If you climb in thin conditions in the south do it in the early morning. If you chop a route completely down then it is not there the next day for others to climb. One of the routes that was left in a pile on the ground I had climbed three times in the past week without leaving a mark in it.

SATURDAY: 23 NOVEMBER 2002

Hogpen Gap: There were several routes in climbable shape early this morning but they were melting out by 8:00 am. If you want in on some of this action do your climbing before daylight or not at all.

MONDAY: 18 NOVEMBER 2002

Hogpen Gap: All three of the standard boulder problems on the left are thin but climbable. Several of the longer routes are close and may be climbable by tomorrow morning.

CONDITIONS ARCHIVE FROM THE WAY BACK MACHINE.....

WINTER 2009/2010

WINTER 2008/2009 WINTER 2007/2008

WINTER 2006/2007 WINTER 2005/2006

WINTER 2004/2005 WINTER 2003/2004

WINTER 2002/2003 WINTER 2001/2002

ICE CLIMBING NAVIGATION