u/saucyspence

Tried my hand at ice climbing on a recent trip to Iceland. Went with a guide from Arctic Adventures and had an awesome time! 10/10 would recommend

Had a free Saturday and decided to go climb at the closest Crag.

Despite 90+ degree temps and hot sun, we did some “sky cragging” after leading an easy route, by rapping in and top roping some harder pitches.

Climbs included “Costanoan” and “Power Tools” on the citadel.

https://youtu.be/5HtqyfUF4fc?is=5miKA9363RZ3mDwb

Spent 3 days in the Whitney Zone, attempting the East Buttress of Whitney (5.7, 400M) and Mithril Dihedral on Mt Russell (5.10a, ~300M). Unstable weather and slow pacing from the parking lot prevented us from summiting Whitney, which was a bummer for the group, but I’ve taken the John Muir trail to the top in the past, so Russell was my original goal for the trip.

The following morning my partner and I climbed Mithril Dihedral and descended the Wast Ridge of Russell back to camp! I’ve had this route on my to do list for a while and always felt it would be at my limit, climbing 5.9-5.10a at nearly 14k ft, and I was right! I fell multiple times, had to take breaks on the harder pitches in between placing gear, etc. it was an epic day, and an amazing trip.. the summit felt so good!!

Hope you enjoy the pictures and here is a YouTube link to the video trip report for those interested.

Thanks for reading! https://youtu.be/6NU6eSOiqOM?is=mv5M-12jtcTS2qo0

Spent 3 days in the Whitney Zone, attempting the East Buttress of Whitney (5.7, 400M) and Mithril Dihedral on Mt Russell (5.10a, ~300M). Unstable weather and slow pacing from the parking lot prevented us from summiting Whitney, which was a bummer for the group, but I’ve taken the John Muir trail to the top in the past, so Russell was my original goal for the trip.

The following morning my partner and I climbed Mithril Dihedral and descended the Wast Ridge of Russell back to camp! I’ve had this route on my to do list for a while and always felt it would be at my limit, climbing 5.9-5.10a at nearly 14k ft, and I was right! I fell multiple times, had to take breaks on the harder pitches in between placing gear, etc. it was an epic day, and an amazing trip.. the summit felt so good!!

Hope you enjoy the pictures and here is a YouTube link to the video trip report for those interested.

Thanks for reading! https://youtu.be/6NU6eSOiqOM?is=mv5M-12jtcTS2qo0

Had an awesome time backpacking with my wife at the big pine lakes in the Sierra Nevada last weekend! Trip totaled 13 miles, 3k ft of gain and sleeping at 10-11k ft of elevation. Took about 4 hours to get to camp, and spent the next day and a half exploring Sam Mack meadow, the other lakes (2nd lake is the main one pictured here, but there are 6 total). It was absolutely gorgeous and worth it in every aspect, the only downside to all of this water was the mosquitos haha…

https://youtu.be/PRVPc0njbQU?is=SXY7Gl3AeRPEtsb7

I’ve got some more mountaineering/climbing trips planned soon but I miss the cascades.. feeling the draw of those big volcanoes again!

Drove up from sea level and hiked straight to Helen lake, slept poorly at 10k ft, then woke up around 3:45 AM for the summit push! It was a steep hike but had some of my favorite views and I wouldn’t change a thing about the trip!

Supplemented with electrolytes, caffeine, and ginkgo biloba with good success!

Here’s a quick YT vid I didn’t post last year

https://youtu.be/IXChK6n1Ryo?si=Ws5uFoynqMkgGUNd

Was planning to climb the Swiss Arete on Mount Sill last weekend but a late season snowstorm and cold front would have made that goal miserable if possible at all. Ended up going down to Southern California to climb some of the historic routes on Tahquitz rock with some friends!

Got on Fingertrip, Traitor Horn, Open book, and Angels fright. All super fun!

YouTube video for those interested:

https://youtu.be/KIoqvXai-Vs?si=fSOIg8vunu1leoFe

Had an awesome long weekend in the Valley, ticking some classics and staying in camp 4! 3 of us decided to do a push on the nose to dolt tower with plans to sleep there, but when our pacing was slower than we wanted and the wind picked up, we bailed and stopped at sickle.

Still a great day of aid practice!

Then followed it up with 2 days at camp 4 ticking off routes like Commitment, Suds, More mental than mantel, and finished it off with the classic Royal Arches!

Here’s the YouTube recaps for those interested! Happy belated earth day!

https://youtu.be/ChMvujkV6xk?si=f0teCTWOKFHvLk5w

https://youtu.be/jVLaWpOlh2c?si=3GZWzW4SNfrSYhOu