Leader Fall

Ice climbing, Pine Creek Falls, it's beautiful but scary. The upper falls is a gaping maw with frozen icicles for fangs. Ice cold water churns and spews. I lead that pitch, sidestepping gingerly in the soft snow-covered ice, careful not to break through.

The ice screws I've inserted form an "S" pattern from me crossing and recrossing the waterfall, and the friction from the carabiners makes pulling the rope difficult. The final stretch is straight up along the left-hand side of the falls. My left foot slips, but I recover.

Near the top, the ice is so thin I can see clearly to the water rushing underneath. It couldn't be more than an inch thick. To break through could spell disaster — it's bad enough to fall, but to fall into a waterfall and dangle under an ice-cold shower could be really unpleasant. I steer towards the far left of the ice, right against the rock wall, hoping for the best. My choices for pick placement are limited, but I'm nearly at the top. Just a couple more picks, a couple more steps.

Left pick. Fine. Right pick. Not so fine. Is it good enough? I raise a foot to test the balance, and feel myself leaning back, the picks sliding...

Oh, shit, I think. Here I go.

And away I went.

I must have fallen about 20 feet. It really wasn't bad at all — I stopped about an inch or two above the snowy ledge. I straightened out, stood up on the ledge, and waved to Craig that I was okay. Really, my first thought was that it was kind of funny. Then I noticed my hands and legs shaking from the adrenaline.

I belayed Craig up to the ledge, and he finished off the final section of the falls. He was a little sketched out by the water flowing right underneath, too, and used the rock wall to support him up the edge of the ice. Picks, crampons, even gloved hands right on the rock. I followed right behind him. I knew it was climbable. It was just harder than the climbs we had done in the past, and a lot scarier, but totally doable. Falling is part of the sport — that's why there's ropes and protection.

I think I'm learning.




Craig Hall on Pine Creek Falls