Hyalite Ice: Unnamed Wall; The Fat One, Mouse Trap

Sam, Megan, Cady, Manfred and I spent a gorgeous Sunday up on the Unnamed Wall. Sam set up a top rope on the Fat One WI3 which I climbed once before moving over to a dry tool route called Mouse Trap M4 13 bolts. Vary rarely am I in the mood to climb rock with crampons and ice axes but its kind of the next step in my progression so I did manned up and sent it cleanly. The holds get so positive about one third of the way up that I clipped my axes to my harness and finished the route with bare hands. I was very stoked to send it dare-I-say easily? I climbed it again on top rope trying to use my axes more just to get familiar with the feeling of steel on rock but it made absolutely no sense to climb it that way. Climb smarter not harder someone once told me. Cady climbed the Fat One a couple of times and Megan got her first ever ice climb done! I finished the day with a quick free solo of the Fat One. I think I have now taken 12 or 13 people on their first ever ice climb. Ill bet at least 90% of those newbies still climb today.

Megan feelin it out.

Me belaying Sam on the Mouse Trap.

The rock is Basalt columns.