07-08 Ice Towers 4

Alaskan Alpine Club

The 2007-08 Ice Tower, Page 4

23 January 2008 to 6 February.

23 January

The Yeti sightings compete with the alien space craft calls.

The back side, in the sun, where the colors are more evident.

The lighting technician posing with the light timer, in the Ice Shack, attempting to appear as though he understands the numbers on the dial.

26 January

John the ice artist decided on streams of intense pink. After measuring out a suitably strong color mix, he noticed there was not enough left for another day, and dumped it all in.

The color followed the current flow of the previous nozzle arrangement mostly encased by its own ice cap. Approval arrived from places around the world.

The next task was to add more pipe to the towers. At 35 below 0, the ice guys, seeking to avoid lead climbing on nasty brittle hard dollopy icicles that seriously resist ice screws, wisely decided to shoot a line over the top, which often fails miserably. The first shot got the drag cord right over the top, which is where the knot of the rope jammed in an ice wedge. The second shot got the drag cord, and then the rope over to where the rope was too short to end up at a convenient place, which required lead climbing to reach and anchor. The pipe guy ascended the rope. Probably took longer than lead climbing the tower, as usual.

30 January