Seeds of doubt surrounding the warm conditions swirled up and down the west coast in the days leading up to the 2019 Lillooet Ice Fest. Needless to say, those who committed to attending were rewarded with a good time spent with quality company, and of course some climbing!

Danny O’Farrell, being the gentleman that he is, gave Antony and I some beta regarding the potential for new mixed lines at the Mixed Master J Area up the Bridge River. On the saturday of the fest, he even lent us his drill and bolts, and we headed up to check out the zone. It was a quality outing, resulting in two new bolted mixed lines, both of which gain vertical ice features and check in around M6+. The routes, Howling Wind (5 bolts, 20 m) and Pissing Rain (4 bolts, 20 m) share the first four bolts and were named for the ideal conditions under which we set out that fine saturday morning. Park as for Night N Gale, cross the river, and follow the drainage straight up to the crag, which can be seen from the road. Bring a rack of screws to climb the other ice routes and to protect up high.

Me on the FA of Pissing Rain (M6+)