Suspension bridge over Galatea Creek - Mount Kidd in the background

Starting the approach to the ice climb

Half way up the approach to the ice climb

Erica with Kidd falls up and left

Kidd Falls

Erica racking up with the gear to start the climb

Erica leading off on the first pitch

Belaying Erica up to the top of the first pitch

Mount Fisher and Mount Evan Thomas in the background

Highway 40 running south in the valley bottom

'The Wedge' in the backgound

Looking down the approach gully (we ascended the approach on the left side of the gully)

My serious pose alongside the upper pillar

Erica sporting a bloody nose after being struck by falling ice from the leader (me! oops)



Had a fun day out with Erica (room mate) on Kidd falls today. 8.30am start from the house, 9.30am from the trail head with a 1 hour approach to the base of the climb. The wind was sporadic, I was on the cusp of being too cold, Erica chose the opposite and layered up heavy (too heavily she later admitted). We arrived at the base of the route both a little sweaty from our packs so I changed into a dry shirt, Erica layered up with more jackets as she had not packed a dry base layer.

   

  We splayed out the ropes and tied in, Erica racked the gear and started leading the pitch. Soon though, she ran into some VERY cold fingers causing her a weak head for the lead role about three ice screws into the pitch. The line she started up was dripping wet on her left tool, with dry ice on her right. The left side of her body was unfortunately unable to avoid the vertical liquid so she ended up quite wet with a helmet that was collecting ice which soon resembled an ice cream cone! She wasn't keen to continue leading so she asked me to lower her off at which point a BAD case of the screaming barfies were starting to come on! (Screaming barfies are like an ice cream headache caused from cold hands, only worse!! Severe cases end up with vomiting!! ) Once she came back to planet earth after the barfies (which thankfully didn't occur this time), I set up a belay on the left side of the climb and we swapped leads.

 

  After Erica's cold, wet adventure starting out, we agreed that it would be better to stay further right on the pitch so our ropes could have a fighting chance at staying dry, and more importantly to avoid the not-so-magical feeling of water running off of your jacket sleeve onto your pant leg, eventually disappearing to the bottom of your boot!

  I started up with all of my jackets on, which seemed like a good idea at the time, however the tight layers quickly imposed an even quicker pump on my forearms than I was expecting at which point I had to ask Erica for a 'take' on one of my ice screws. At this point I peeled off my outer layer, and took my thumbs out of my hoody sleeves, shook out my arms, and surprising relieved enough pressure off of my flamed forearms so I could continue to the top of the pitch. As I continued up the pitch, I too was unable to drift away from the 'hero sticks' of the wet ice which my forearms were enjoying from only having to swing once for a good tool placement in the ice. At this point the plan for dryness had to be abandoned in the name of safety from the lack of confidence I had in my sausaged forearms.

 

  Even though Erica allowed me to rest on my screw, my arms didn't fully recover from the pump, but I was able to persevere with a little help from the years of climbing experience, to finish the pitch. Unfortunately, the epic was only half over!

  Upon topping out on the first pitch I plunged into a snowed covered pool of water up to my knees while trying to clip the anchor! Maybe I should have clued in earlier when I swung my tool into the ice just below the pool, piercing the ice completely with my ice axe causing the water to come spurting out like a water fountain! Anyway, the pool came as a surprise not to mention the soaking legs I now had. Now we had a small river gushing over the first pitch of the climb further widening the area of wet ice we were so desperately trying to avoid. Now with wet ropes and a wet lead climber, both Erica and I decided it would be best to bring her up to the belay atop the first pitch so she could clean the gear from the pitch. This turned out to be a wise decision!

  After Erica arrived at the belay, we chuckled at the comedy of it all despite minor disappointment from the realization that we logically could not finish the route for numerous reasons. Mainly though because both the climber and the belayer were soaked to the skin, our ropes were now handling like stiff cables, and neither of us had our 'A' game on enough to probably even get up the crux second pitch! So a rational decision was confirmed between us.

  The rappel down turned out to be the crux of the climb with two ropes now handling very much like the afore mentioned cables, and we had to take extra precaution to back up our rappels with prussik cord in case our icy gloves were unable to hold onto the icy rope. A little unnerving to say the least. Thankfully neither of us had to stop and clean any gear from the pitch which was our first option! 

  Erica rappeled first and held the ends of the ropes as I rappeled to give me added security, so we both safely rappeled to the packs, and hurriedly packed our gear to head for the car. Soon we were walking and sliding down the appoach, and about 40 minutes later we were high-fiving at the car and grinning from ear to ear, from another fun adventure in the mountains :)