Local climbers top out at Whychus falls

Extreme cold meant frozen pipes and lots of headaches for many people in the Sisters Country.

For others, it meant one thing: Adventure.

On Wednesday, December 9, three men from Central Oregon climbed the frozen main falls of Whychus Creek in what may be the first ice ascent of the cataract.

Judah Slavkovsky, 28, of Sisters, led the single pitch with Lee Pyke, 24, of Bend, belaying him from below. The second climber up was Rick Slavkovsky, 54, of Sisters, belayed from above by Judah.

While the Slavkovskys were preparing to rappel down to the starting point, Pyke free-climbed the approximate 180-foot pitch and joined them on top.

Pyke's climb may well be the first "free climb" of the waterfall without using placed protection.

All three men are experienced climbers, but this was the first serious waterfall ice climb for all of them.

The party left Sisters at 9 a.m. when the temperature was minus 11 degrees F. The normally rough and rocky road to the trailhead was made noticeably smoother with the help of a foot of newly fallen powder. At the trailhead the Slavkovsky's set out on snowshoes with Pyke on Nordic skis. The skis soon proved impractical for the conditions, so Pyke completed most of the approach on foot in his warmer climbing boots.

When the men arrived at the lower falls and saw the mass of frozen water and icicles, they enthusiastically decided to hike higher up the creek, knowing the chances of finding the main falls frozen would be good. Their calculations proved correct, and after wading through deep snow in the bottom bowl of the waterfall, they arrived at their frozen target and began to break out their gear.

Although a plume of water was very actively flowing about midway up the height, the great majority of the cascade had become an icy buttress. A constant gurgle from beneath filled the climbers' ears. By now the temperature was a balmy 22 degrees F.

When Judah rotated the first tubular ice screw into the face, he was in for a surprise.

"I screwed it in about three inches and suddenly I had a stream of water shooting out into the air!"

Slavkovsky quickly backed the screw out and pulled his ice ax pick as well.

"When I pulled my ax out, a second stream shot out," he said. "It was like the little Dutch boy and the dike story."

Abandoning the leaky route, Slavkovsky found success moving farther to the right.

Throughout the route the climbers were plagued with crumbly areas. When asked to grade the quality of the ice, Pyke replied, "Fair, but for Central Oregon, hey, it was outstanding!"

The climbers are requesting information from readers regarding any previous ice climbs of the falls. Contact Rick Slavkovsky at 549-1149.

Slavkovsky's party wasn't the only one who felt adventure in the frigid wind.

On Saturday, December 12, Brent McGregor, Kara Mickaelson, Mike Geisen, a school teacher in Prineville, and Troy Longstroth, a school teacher in Redmond, decided to make the trek to Whychus Falls with the slim hopes of finding enough ice on the falls to climb. After the cold snap in Central Oregon, there was a chance the falls had started to freeze.

"I'd never heard of anyone climbing there, but the draw of the unknown and the fact Whychus Falls is a scant few miles from downtown Sisters spurred us on," McGregor said.

"We had climbed Paulina Falls before, the best-known ice climb in Central Oregon, and were aware that Tumalo Falls is climbed on occasion, but there has been almost no mention of Whychus Falls."

Upon reaching the falls, the climbers dropped down the draw to the base of the falls and checked out the stability of the ice. It looked like a go, so they hiked around to the top of the falls and set up a top rope, anchoring to a tree. They rappelled down the center part of the falls where it had frozen over, checking the ice as they lowered themselves down.

"Then we started the fun of climbing," McGregor said. "It was awesome climbing up the middle of the falls with open water on both sides of us. After gaining a few feet off the base, the route was surprisingly dry. Kara shot video of the three of us belaying and climbing."

Whychus Falls is not a demanding climb, having little vertical ice, and isn't a very long climb.

"It doesn't compare to the great climbs of Canada or Colorado," McGregor said, "but shhh!...it's our backyard secret."