On one hand, you’ve got early season alpine climbing. Alpine climbing makes for amazing photography sometimes, like the shot on page 24 of the Patagonia Winter 2009 catalog. On the other hand, at this time of the year, the photos people send us or post on their blogs makes me want to drink some hot chocolate:
Well, what can you do? Hot chocolate is good, but let’s face it, the screaming barfies are better. Except right now, you probably won’t get the screaming barfies. Nope, when it’s barely cold enough for ice to stay “laminated” onto rock, you’re more likely to experience that wonderful feeling of your underwear getting tugged into your intestines due to the pure, unadulterated fear that only early season “ice” can bring.
On the other hand, at this time of year, there are rock pictures. Okay, I’ll admit that if I see another butt shot, I’ll go crazy. But there is plenty of room to find some interesting images. Of course, if you’re a guide or other kind of semi homeless itinerant climbing traveler, you’re probably cajoling clients into coming down to Red Rocks, Indian Creek or another similar warm spot. And from the perspective of a potential client, I can bluntly state that I’d pay somebody to drag me up sunny routes I could do in a shirt. You’d have to pay me to get onto that, erm, “lamination” experiment that is early season ice.
