UKC

Found this set of pics that appear to have been taken on Saturday 11th
If it was the guy I met with the huge camera lenses at mid day 'looking' for the Downfall Glad you made it before the cloud came in

http://www.fstoppress.com/articles/frozen-kinder-downfall/

In reply to L.A.:

Some amazing photos there..

Looking in great condition. Just to add to your comment about only 150 miles from London - South Wales is also close and often in condition during the winter:
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150672551407228&set=a.10150672545367228.450180.649382227&type=1&theater

In reply to L.A.: so glad we drove the 7 and a half hours up to Aveimore to then walk the 2 hours to Lurchers to find a river running behind the fast melting ice which then as the temp hit more than 10 degrees in the bright sun it started to fall down all around us.
Could have been at Kinder in less than a couple of hours.
Moral of story when you know the conditions are not going to be that good in a location, even if this is the first chance to get up there since December and the next chance will not be until the end of March DO NOT BOTHER

In reply to ERU:


"Often", that's not really true is it?


Chris

In reply to sheffieldchris:

Or look at the weather forecasts and go wher its best ?

In reply to L.A.:


I'd not know where to start but my god I want a go!

In reply to L.A.: Marije said: “When you climb on rocks you have to bend your body and squeeze through gaps – but climbing on ice feels like you are cheating – you just hack your way through it with your ice picks – is a bit like digging a way up through the ice with a Black and Decker.”

Yes love

In reply to L.A.:
Are those pics really from Saturday? Not only does the downfall look to be in a condition not seen for years but nobody on UKC singing its praises which you'd expect. Plus its wasn't formed the week before and if its been sub zero since then where has all the water to make the ice come from? Conditions wasn't as fat as that at 800m in the Lakes on thursday...

In reply to GrendeI:
Do take a bit of artistic license of journalists into account here. This is an amalgamation of several things said by several people throughout the day - and "ice picks" was certainly not my choice of words. But happy to have entertained you for a bit.

It was a real treat to find Kinder Downfall in that condition, weather and that quiet! The top bit started to fall apart a bit later in the day but I bet it is still climb-able now.

In reply to m4rije: And you got some good pics and 5 mins of Peak climbing fame - To those even now packing their axes and heading for the Kinder Alps Its +4c in the Valley,drizzling misty and didnt get close to freezing last night. Save yourself the trip.(its a local place for local people)

In reply to m4rije:


I took some pictures on Saturday, a little later than the others. (I went with the intention of nipping up solo, but as you say, I could hear that top bit rattling, so I politely declined)

https://picasaweb.google.com/martynmaltby/20120211KinderDownfall?authuser=0...

If anyone sees themselves and wants a picture, let me know.

Martyn

In reply to L.A.:

Be great if you could put a couple of those photos on your UKC gallery so that they could link to the crag listing and be findable in future years.

Alan

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax: Not my pics Alan

In reply to L.A.:

Sorry, yes, I see that now. There doesn't appear to be a photographer named on that article.

Alan

In reply to blanchie14c: It has been in much much better condition than that as little as two years ago, when the direct on the left was in for about two weeks running. It is in the condition seen on sat about once a year, but maybe only for a day, which often isnt a weekend so people tend not to get on it.

In reply to smithaldo: did someone really do the direct on sat? (from the logbooks) it looks pretty thin on those photos above, given that it is the left hand line looking face on that isnt really even touching down.

In reply to L.A.: Just back from the Lakes 2 hr drive to climb Central Gully on Great End i was pleased that i got a winter route done in alright conditions.But a bit gutted now, KInder only half an hour down the road and looks amazing.

In reply to Alan James - Rockfax:
His name is Rod Kirkpatrick - I'll chase him up and see if he's happy to have some of the pictures on here.

In reply to blanchie14c:
Yes def Saturday. We passed the guy taking the pics whilst on the Kinder Crab Crawl. The Downfall was like a staircase. Never seen it so fully frozen for over 25 years. Couple of pics here http://www.dalebloomer.blogspot.com/

In reply to DaleB:
Wow, pleased everyone had a great day and gutted I've missed another chance

In reply to blanchie14c: Was in pretty good nick yesterday. Good times!

In reply to CurlyStevo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/farmer55/5346824530/

In reply to L.A.: Great day yesterday, was a great surprise to find it in good nick & no queue's

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76536608@N04/6868297955/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76536608@N04/6868299097/in/photostream/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/76536608@N04/6868293737/in/photostream/


Crowden Clough on the way up

http://www.flickr.com/photos/76536608@N04/6868296607/in/photostream/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/76536608@N04/6868295101/in/photostream/

In reply to Toreador:

That photo was taken in 2010, there's nowhere near that much snow at the moment!

In reply to Dan_S:
I know, I was replying to the apparent suggestion that conditions in that photo were better than they were at the weekend!

I don't have any experience of Peak District ice even though I live just down the road, so could someone please suggest how well they'd expect it to hold up today and what condition it might be in tomorrow morning? Thank you.

In reply to Toreador:

I think I said fatter in 2009/2010 and better 2010/2011

In reply to L.A.:
Picture 22 of the set is on page 24 of todays Daily Express. Pic only, the text with it is just about the weather. They do say Peaks and not Peaks though

In reply to L.A.:

Great Pics but wouldn't want to be under a team ice climbing as though 'hacking their way up the ice with a Black and Decker'!

In reply to NottsRich: I would expect it to still be in today as it was still quite thick on the central route, may still be in 2moro, if temps stay low poss weekend

In reply to Simon stokes: Thank you.

In reply to L.A.: anyone been out today. thawing ?

In reply to Neil Anderson:
We went up today, the top section is very wet and incomplete, we traversed off to the very left edge. Doubt it will be in for veyr much longer, loads of big bits coming off.

In reply to Martyn Maltby: Thanks for the pictures. Thats me (orange backpack) and my nephew (leading - red helmet). I think I spoke to you just as I was setting off. Some more pictures here that I took on the way up.
https://picasaweb.google.com/106355897048740438265/KinderDownfall20120211#

In reply to L.A.:

I'm so glad I drove 8 hours to Glencoe this weekend rather than the half hour to Edale. /sarcasm

In reply to Jimmybarr: Yes Im glad I canned the 7 hr drive in favour of the 10 mins each way/ smugness

I was up there Tuesday night and climbed an ice fall about 150m to the left of the downfall which was in pretty good nick, but from what we could tell in the dark the downfall wasn't in, and we could here the water flowing fairly heavily. From Monday through to Tuesday it was well below freezing at night, (was -7 when we walked out on Tuesday in a stiff breeze about midnight) but above freezing in the days. I live about 4 miles as the crow flies from the downfall, and through the big camera lens you could just about make out the ice falls saturday morning.

Sadly, I had other plans already organised...

In reply to Removed UserTheShipsMast: Anyone been around Kinder today? Anything worth doing? Going up there tomorrow anyway, so if nothing is in I'll just have a bimble around.

In reply to ChrisHolloway1:

come on then Chris, how was it? reckon it'll be ok for next week?

In reply to Northern Climber: Only just clocked this! Yeah it was climbable when I went....but that's not much use now!

In reply to ChrisHolloway1: aww man, I managed to get over to the peak that weekend too and opted for somehting else instead! would have loved to have got on the downfall again!