Big T and the Mitre

I call her Big T not because her stature is large, but because of her life and accomplishments and also her first name is Tanya. Its been a goal to coordinate with this very busy person to go climbing all winter, and it finally happened. There aren't many people I know that have 2 snow machines and the skills to drag me up the Mitre....so when Tanya let me decide where to go....it was the obvious choice.

I didn't realize what a habit rosh-sham-bo'ing had become until Tanya said she never rosh's....I just don't know how to decide who should lead fairly without the rosh. It takes all the "well if you really want it....and indecision out of decision making....but I guess it only works on the assumption that both people want to lead the pitch. Long story short, we roshed and Tanya won the first lead.

Me and Big T and the Top of Pitch One

 

I definitely got to lead the most pleasant pitch of the day. It was succulent and as beautiful as ice ever gets. It was sustained, but never overwhelming, and it was long. All the pitches on this route are long.

Tanya Coming up Pitch 3

 

The last pitch didn't look that bad to me, and Tanya thought it looked good too. So off she went...when she started putting in screws and said she was pumped 20 feet off the start, I started to wonder if this was one of those "steeper than it looks" moments. When I followed it in the dark, I understood immediately how she was getting a bit pumped....it was brutal vertical to almost overhanging, multiple consecutive moves required serious body tension to not barn door off the route, plus the ice up close was more aerated, brittle and purely gnarly than it looked from the ground. It was a super burly lead, but Big T pulled it off in fine style. I was psyched that fate aka the rosh had spared me the lead this go, I would have seriously cried.

Tanya Starting Pitch 5

 

Unfortunately due to circumstances we stopped about 20 feet shy of the true top of the pitch in an ice cave where we rapped off. It was dark, we were both pumped and it was late.

Ice Cave Happiness!

 

An awesome day out, and hopefully with more to come!!

Slide Show