Team Mammut: Indian Creek

Showing posts with label Indian Creek. Show all posts

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Lone Peak Cirque and Desert Rock!! Where did my skis go?

Passion, one way or another. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

It was a low snow year making early access to the Alpine Rock way easier.

Lone Peak Cirque.

The summit face.

Question Mark wall, Looking down on lake Utah.

Brennan, Bret, and I getting geared up for Triple Overhang.

Because I'm the newest to Rock climbing, I get the lead on the 5.10a Overhangs.

Much like skiing a big mountain line, it's all in your head.

View from my sleeping bag.

Base camp, with ice cold running water.

Alpine Granite has this guy hooked.

Dropping back down to the SCL heat.

Well the snow is still out there to get, but as you can see I've changed gears.

Desert trip!!

Ancient Art.

Here we are getting ready for the cat walk.

And yes I free climbed the 5.11a that most aid.

The wind was a bit scary.The feeling was amazing though.

I still make these when I go to the beach.

When you're in the desert, you have to get as much of it as you can.

Indian Creek was just a skip away.

Super Crack!

Some off width.

We did a couple of days at the creek but I failed to get good photos.

Till next time thanks for looking.
Dylan Crossman.
Peace.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Running from Bad Weather, Worse Injuries, and Even Worse Luck!

I read a post by Peter Kamitses on this blog toward the end of 2009, entitled something like "Bring Me a New Year." Peter reported on a poopy year filled with unfortunates, and I really identified. My 2009 was, well... pretty crappy. Though I got to check out some cool, new-to-me areas from the Red River Gorge to Ceuse, each trip and each destination was sandwiched between unfortunate circumstances, and punctuated by illnesses and major injuries.

SO I began 2010 psyched for some positive change but the Universe, it seems isn't finished with me. A road trip that was supposed to begin in early January didn't actually start until February for very unpleasant reasons... and the first month of said trip has proved to be riddled with snow, rain, wind, and more injuries...

In any case, we have stopped by Zion, Moe's Valley, Red Rocks, Hueco Tanks, and are now in Indian Creek. Bad weather seems to have descended on most of North America, so we're taking this time to hang out in Moab and get some internet/ electricity-related work taken care of, and let some of these pesky injuries heal up a bit... so there's not too much to report, but hopefully "the gods" will give us a bit of a break soon, and I'll start posting photos and stories of ridiculous sends, amazing health, and sunny days.

Seeking shelter from the Texas wind in Chris Weidner's van.

Triple feature at the dollar theater in El Paso.

My newest injury: pulley.

Broken down en route from Heuco to Indian Creek: Sleeping in the mechanic's parking lot (Blanding, UT)

Waiting for someone to pass. Alternator failure in N.E. AZ, no cell reception.

Indian Creek in early season.

-Christine Balaz

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Winter in the Desert

I think winter is the ultimate season here in Moab, for climbing and BASE jumping. When it's sunny, the conditions couldn't be better for sending the hardest cracks. And when it's cloudy and snowy, it just makes for more adventure getting on top of the cliffs to jump off of them.....

The only thing that can really shut us down for jumping is wind. Moab cliff jumps are all short, under 400 feet, and don't allow any margin for funkiness. These subterminal jumps (so named because your body never reaches terminal speed, of 120 mph, during free fall) require almost no-wind conditions.

In the morning, the first thing I see when I open my eyes are the vines and trees outside my window. If they're not moving at all, it's good conditions. If the trees are blowing and moving just slightly, it's worth driving the three miles out to Kane Creek and checking the wind there. I have a really nice wind flag I made out of thin, ripstop nylon. The flag lets you know right away if it's jumpable, or if you should just get back in the car and drive home.

On top of the cliff, it's good to check the flag again, and do a few spit tests down the wall. I always like to put the BASE rig on before going right to the edge, leaning over, and spitting down the wall :)

If the spit hits the wall, that's a pretty good indicator that the wind is not right for jumping. Because the greatest danger in subterminal jumps is the (slim!) chance that the parachute might somehow open pointing in the wrong direction, facing towards the wall, a headwind is very bad for jumping. Almost everything we do here in Moab is geared around having perfect, on-heading openings. But you just never know when a 180 might happen, and it's crucial to always be prepared for it before each jump, both with practice and mental planning.

If the canopy does open in a 180 offheading direction, you need every fraction of a second as you attempt to instantly turn the canopy around before you hit the wall. A small head wind could make the difference. So for that reason, the conservative BASE jumper (like me!) has to make decisions based on the wind, and this can often mean just walking back down from the cliff. It can also mean waiting for a while and doing lots of spitting. Since subterminal jumps take about 3 seconds, and then sometimes about 8 seconds of canopy time, even with funky wind conditions, the patient jumper can wait for a very short lull in the wind, and with some luck, still take the fast way down.....!

posted by Steph Davis (highinfatuation.com)