All posts by NEM Guides

A Lesson on Bailing Out-Climbing in Huntington Ravine

Today I met up with my friend Brent (http://www.brentdoscher.com/) in hopes to climb some ice. The recent warm weather took its toll on a lot of the good ice climbing destinations. We knew we’d need to go to higher elevations and colder temps to find good ice conditions. The initial plan was to head into Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mt. Washington as Brent spotted a good flow from the ridge on Lion Head a couple days ago.

Weather Forecast and Avalanche Danger

The forecast today was looking pretty gnarly. With a high in the low teens, 100 mph wind gusts, snow and 50 below wind chill!

Today’s Higher Summits Forecast

However, with the wind forecasted to come out of the west for the most part, we had hopes that the summit of the mountain would keep us sheltered from it while we climbed on the east side. We knew we might be in for some intense weather regardless, and we packed accordingly. Extra layers, heavier mittens, hard shells, chem warmers, the works. The avalanche report for today showed most gullies in Tuckerman and Huntington Ravine were “Low danger” while a couple in Huntington Ravine had “Moderate danger” advisories. Continue reading →

Ice Climbing For The First Time

Breaking the Ice: My First Ice Climb

They say there’s a first time for everything…So there I was, hanging from the face of an ice covered cliff in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with nothing but a few points of metal (and some rope) keeping me from plummeting to the bottom.

Frozen Frankenstein Cliff
Photo: Cait Bourgault

You may be wondering just how does one find themselves hanging from the face of an ice cover cliff in the White Mountains of New Hampshire? Continue reading →

A Must Do Gully Climb in White Mountains, New Hampshire

The Journey into Landslide Gully Begins

January 14, 2017

My alarm went off at 4AM and I didn’t smash the snooze button. My gear was packed, crampons and ice tools freshly sharpened. My Stoke? That was high and plentiful.

This could only mean one thing… It was time for another adventure filled day in the mountains with my friends at Northeast Mountaineering!

A balmy 5 degrees!

After some coffee, I hit the road by 4:45AM to begin my journey to Pinkham Notch. I arrived at the Northeast Mountaineering Bunkhouse by 7:30AM. The temperature was in the low single digits… it sure was chilly! Today I’d be climbing with Jared Heath and Jesse Wall. Both intimidatingly accomplished guys that I’d have the pleasure of climbing along side of today. Both were also incredibly friendly and excited to get out there! Continue reading →