conditions

2004/2005 ice Conditions archive

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.

TUESDAY: 1 FEBRUARY 2005

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Road is closed, its been closed for a while so I don't have a clue what is happening.

Yonah Mountain: Looks nice and snowy but no ice to speak of.

NORTH CAROLINA

Big Lost Cove: No recent report.

Hwy. 215: Even with the snow and ice everywhere else it rained here all night on Saturday night. Sunday every gumby in the world showed up included several van loads from a local college. What little was left got smashed to pieces. It was very warm all day.

Graveyard: Thinning out.

Whitesides: Today there was nothing to speak of. "Sympathy" was mostly gone with nothing but some snow lining the edges. East Face is whacked and even "Scotch" is gone.

Winding Stair: Monday there were three leadable lines left but they were very soft and lots of ice was falling.

TENNESSEE

Lookout Mountain: No new report.

MONDAY: 24 JANUARY 2005

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Improving but the road is still closed. I expect them to get it opened sometime today but would not bet money on it.

Yonah Mountain: Improving greatly. Xanadu should be o.k. for an early morning hit if you don't mind mixed climbing on slabs.

NORTH CAROLINA

Big Lost Cove: White Fang is climbable and do not have a report on Paradise Lost. I have been told this area is officially closed to climbing on Jan. 15 for the falcon program but this may not be true. The area where the ice climbs are, may not be part of the closed area. Take your own chances. Do not climb anywhere that the signs are posted saying closed.

Hwy. 215: Getting better. Let me know what it looks like tomorrow.

Graveyard: Looking good. Well worth the effort.

Whitesides: "Sympathy" is in. the Bottom pitch is thin but the upper section is fat. "Scotch" is not in. No ice worth climbing on the East Face. Multiple parties climbed "Sympathy" yesterday but the queue was so long that many folks ended up leaving and going elsewhere to climb.

Winding Stair: This place was way fat yesterday. We lead multiple routes and with several parties there we never felt crowded. There are at least half a dozen leadable lines and lots of toprope options.

TENNESSEE

Lookout Mountain: No new report.

SATURDAY: 22 JANUARY 2005

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: The heat thinned it out on Friday but this morning there was an ice storm reforming and fattening things quickly. There were only two routes climbable other than some of the boulder problems. Should be much better tomorrow and good by Monday-Tuesday. When I topped the hill this morning I was only going 15 mph and it took me a quarter of a mile to get stopped. The curve at the bottom of the hill had three vehicles piled up in the ditch with two trucks upside down. It was a bad scene. They closed the road about 9:30 am and if the ice continued to form at the pace it was growing when I left it will be Monday or Tuesday before it reopens. Be sure to call the Georgia D.O.T. before making the drive. Last year I heard mixed reports about driving around the barricade. Some folks got ticketed and some didn't. I don't take the chance of a ticket.

Yonah Mountain: Currently being exposed to an ice storm. with ice actively falling out of the sky and super cold setting in I predict that Xanadu will be good by Tuesday morning. Remember that "good" for Xanadu often means mixed climbing or verglass climbing on the first pitch. Take a handful of stoppers and a few t.c.u.'s. The North face is reforming and should be good by early week.

NORTH CAROLINA

Closed area: White Fang was in on Wednesday. Don't have a recent report. I have been told this area is officially closed to climbing on Jan. 15 for the falcon program but was given some contradictory information yesterday. The area where the ice climbs are may not be part of the closed area. Take your own chances. Do not climb anywhere that the signs are posted saying closed.

Hwy. 215: Getting better. Let me know what it looks like tomorrow.

Graveyard: Looking good. Well worth the effort.

Whitesides: "Sympathy" is in. the Bottom pitch is thin but the upper section is fat. "Scotch" is in. do not know about anything on the East Face. Send me a report.

TENNESSEE

Lookout Mountain: A couple of routes were in on Wednesday but don't know what Thursday and Fridays sun and heat have done to them. With this new spell of cold I would anticipate an improvement.

FRIDAY: 21 JANUARY 2005

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Past two days have been very warm. I managed to four routes yesterday and the day before. There was no chance at pro on them down low but the tops were fat enough to have taken some shorties. There are also two routes farther down the road towards Tesnatee Gap but I don't know if they will survive this afternoons sun. When I left there at 11:00am this morning it was already over 50 degrees and the temp was rising quickly in the beaming sun.

Yonah Mountain: Xanadu is whacked with the warm up and the sun. The north face stuff is hanging on but deteriorating..

NORTH CAROLINA

Closed area: There is an area listed in the book that has one route in leadable condition and another getting there. The have been told it is officially closed to climbing on Jan. 15 for the falcon program but was given some contradictory information yesterday. The area where the ice climbs are may not be part of the closed area. Take your own chances.

Hwy. 215: Thin and taking a beating from the sun and warm temperatures.

Graveyard: No report yet, somebody let me know what is growing on.

Whitesides: No report yet, somebody let me know what is growing on.

TENNESSEE

Lookout Mountain: A couple of routes were in on Wednesday but don't know what the past two days sun and heat have done to them.

WEDNESDAY: 19 JANUARY 2005

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Taking longer to form than I originally anticipated. It got too cold and all of the ground water froze up but with the slight warming we have had the ice is forming much better. Marginal leading but should be fat by the weekend if the predicted weather does not get the road closed.

Yonah Mountain: Xanadu looked pretty good early but did not see what the afternoon temps did to it. The overcast sky should have helped but the slight warm-up may be too much for this rare climb. The north face stuff is forming.

NORTH CAROLINA

Closed area: There is an area listed in the book that has one route in leadable condition and another getting there. The problem is it officially closed to climbing on Jan. 15 for the falcon program.

Hwy. 215: No report yet but should be forming.

Graveyard: No report yet but should be forming.

Whitesides: No report yet but should be forming.

MONDAY: 17 JANUARY 2005

IT IS BITTER COLD IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE HIGH AT HOGPEN TODAY WAS 21 DEGREES WITH 20 TO 30 MPH WINDS. THINGS ARE FORMING RAPIDLY.

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Two topropeable lines and two boulder problems in. Should be turning screws by Wednesday.

Yonah Mountain: Xanadu looked decent at about 3:30 pm so that means it was probably much better this morning. With lows in the teens for the nest two days it may go if you plan on starting by 6:00am and being done by 7:15. Once the sun hits this climb it falls apart quickly.

NORTH CAROLINA

Hwy. 215: No report yet but should be forming.

Graveyard: No report yet but should be forming.

Whitesides: No report yet but should be forming.

SUNDAY: 16 JANUARY 2005

TEMPS ARE GOING BACK DOWN WITH LOWS IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS WEEKEND IN THE HIGH 20'S. IT IS WARMING BACK UP TO THE 50'S DURING THE DAYS BUT IT IS SUPPOSED TO GET EVEN COLDER FROM MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SHOULD BE GOOD SWINGING BY WEDNESDAY AND REALLY GOOD BY THE WEEKEND.

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Very thin but some decent bouldering and drytooling.

NORTH CAROLINA

Hwy. 215: No report yet.

Graveyard: No report yet.

Whitesides: No report yet.

SATURDAY: 1 JANUARY 2005

It is getting very warm and everything is falling out. looks like rock climbing weather fro the next week or two with temperatures forecast near 70 degrees for daytime highs.

WEDNESDAY: 29 DECEMBER 2004

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Most of the routes fell down but have reformed nicely. All of the mixed routes are leadable and a couple of routes are leadable on screws.

NORTH CAROLINA

Hwy. 215: Decent ice but thinning. Don't know how long it will hold out.

Graveyard: Supposed to be in good shape.

Whitesides: "Sympathy" does not touch and all others are very thin or gone.

MONDAY: 27 DECEMBER 2004

NORTH CAROLINA

Graveyard: Best climbing in the region at present. At least half a dozen leadable lines at present.

THURSDAY: 23 DECEMBER 2004

IT IS RAINING FAIRLY HARD ALL THROUGH THE SOUTHERN APPILACHIANS DO NOT EXPECT MUCH ICE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THIS EVENT.

TUESDAY: 21 DECEMBER 2004

Georgia:

Hogpen Gap: Road closed but the ice is good.