It is starting to feel like Spring in the mountains! This weekend was all about skills courses. On Saturday we had two mountaineering skills courses and one private skills course to prepare the group for a Rainier climb later in the year. We all went to Willey’s Slide in Crawford Notch. Willey’s offers a phenomenal setting for a mountaineering skills course as it offers moderate angled snow and ice to practice self arrest and crampon technique. It also offers great views of the notch. Mike, Brenden, and Jamie had 11 climbers and I had 5 who I was prepping for Rainier. We went through Self arrest, and crampon technique and then the other group headed out for their second part of the day which includes packing, gear, dressing for cold weather activities, self care, hydration and nutrition. My group stayed and practiced team rope travel and snow anchors. It was a great day and the weather was perfect!
On Sunday I was with my same 5 climbers from Saturday and I took them into Huntington Ravine to practice crevasse rescue. I harbored some not so secret plans to climb the Escape Hatch as well. We also had two groups head for the summit of Mt. Washington with Brett, Jamie, Brenden, and Mike. To top it off, we had a father and son team up with Mark for some backcountry skiing in Tuckerman Ravine. Everyone had a fantastic day. The morning clouds gave way to a clear sky and warm temperatures although the wind was quite high early in the day. Mark and his two skiers got some great turns in on the Sluice of Tuckerman Ravine before skiing all the way back to their car. We had 10 climbers reach the summit of Mt. Washington, and we had a fantastic day in Huntington Ravine learning how to haul someone out of a crevasse. We spent a lot of time getting that dialed in so our hopes of climbing the Escape Hatch were shot down, although I wasn’t too excited about that plan after seeing the conditions. We would either have to choose to climb rope-less which is not uncommon on that gully, or put 6 people on a rope team, which is quite dangerous for the conditions. The snow had a solid, bulletproof crust which would turn any slip into a long sliding fall into trees and boulders. Instead, we opted to practice some more rope travel and climb a portion of the fan to the base of Central Gully as a rope team.

‘Tis the season for Backcountry Skiing! The snowpack is starting to consolidate and the warm days soften the top layer for great skiing! We are also launching our Wilderness Navigation Courses as well! Whatever you are looking to do, give us a call!

-Corey

This weekend we wrapped up our ice climbing sessions in the lower elevations. After all of the warm temperatures and rain, the ice is just about toast. We still have some options in Crawford Notch and of course Huntington Ravine. The groups who went out Saturday and Sunday for their Intro to Ice Climbing courses had a great time despite the very wet conditions.
On Saturday, myself and our new guide Nate took a group of 4 up Mt. Washington. The weather called for 30 degrees on the summit, clear skies, and 10-15mph winds. That’s a perfect day even by Summer standards! We made our way up to treeline in our base layers and enjoyed the sweeping views and warm temperatures. At that point I turned back with one climber and Nate took three onward. As they approached Split Rock a massive avalanche cut loose and ripped down the Southeast snowfields on the summit cone. This is amazingly rare but an excellent reminder of what Mt. Washington is capable of. The avalanche split two parties who were skiing and climbing those slopes and no one was caught in it. Nate and crew headed on to the summit and enjoyed the rewards of their hard work before heading back down. The clouds gathered on the descent and slowed things down as they descended through a foggy whiteout. They made it back to the cars without an issue.

On Sunday I headed back out onto the rockpile with Mike and Brenden. We had 7 climbers with us. The forecast was for 100% chance of precipitation. It was looking pretty grim and we knew we would be soaked in no time. We headed out with avy gear and additional rain gear. As it turned out, the first half of the climb was in a light drizzle and mist. We sweated our way up to treeline as it was extremely warm but we were unable to take off our goretex layer. Once we hit Lions head, the precip pushed off and yielded a glorious day on the mountain. We headed across the alpine garden with zero wind. We reached the start of the traverse to Split rock and the two snowfields that guard the way. With the avalanche the day before in the forefront of our minds, we decided it was best to dig a pit and assess the conditions. We found good stability overall and pushed on to a rock band that splits the two snowfields. We stayed spread out in this section to decrease the amount of people who were in the potential danger zone at any given time. We dug another pit in the second snowfield as the aspect changed. As expected the stability got even better so we made our way to Split Rock where we took a well deserved break. From Split rock to the summit had more snow than I imagined, but we made good time and even ditched our goretex shells. The sun shined through a thin layer of clouds and it got really warm up there. We made the summit in warm, windless weather that required only a baselayer and sunglasses. No gloves, no hat needed. We enjoyed the summit for about 45 minutes and began our quick descent. We could have called it off when we heard of high avalanche danger and a good chance of getting soaked but we decided to stick our noses into it, assess the conditions as we went and we were rewarded with one of the best summits of the year!

As always, we are looking ahead and preparing for the upcoming Spring season. We are busy buying new gear, developing new programs, and organizing gear. April is the month for Spring skiing! We settle into a melt freeze cycle to consolidate the snowpack and warm days provide a perfect top layer for skiing. It is time to get out there for some back-country skiing! If you haven’t tried Waterfall Rappelling, it is a amazing adventure for the warmer months and we will be getting underway with that activity in May. We are also introducing our Wilderness Navigation course this Spring! Come learn how to navigate through the backcountry using a map and compass! Finally, rock climbing is always a blast. It’s time to start thinking about the warm, sunny, dry days ahead!

– Corey

We have been getting a lot of questions regarding clothing and what to wear when heading out into the cold whether it’s for ice climbing, a skills course, or a mountaineering objective. Let’s talk a little bit about Layering and how to achieve a successful wardrobe for the cold temperatures.
In the Winter, it is all about managing or regulating your body temperature. Get too hot and you sweat which then freezes and puts you at risk for hypothermia. Get too cold and your at risk for hypothermia. It really isn’t as dramatic as it sounds but choosing the proper clothing makes a big difference between a good day out and a bad one. To regulate our body temperature, we use a technique called “Layering”. Layering allows us to put on layers or take them off to accommodate what our body needs. The goal is to stay at a comfortable temperature all day whether you are moving or at a break.
Before we talk about actual layers, we want to throw out some tips on what fabrics or materials to wear and what to avoid. We all sweat a little bit while we are on the trail at lower elevations or when we are climbing. It’s inevitable. The materials we choose to wear will make a huge difference in our comfort. Cotton is out of place in the Winter. It prefers warm Summer days with a cool breeze. When we sweat, even if it’s only a little bit, the cotton will absorb that sweat and never let go of it. All will be well when you are moving but as soon as you come into your break, that sweat will freeze in minutes and you will notice your teeth chattering long before anyone else in the group. Let’s avoid cotton completely. Some excellent materials that either wick away water, or retain their insulation value when damp are great options for cold weather pursuits. Wool, Fleece, Polyester, Techwick, and Goose Down make great choices.
Let’s start with the feet and move our way up…

FEET: Wool Socks (You should only need to wear one pair of socks). Leather or Double Plastic Mountaineering boots.
LEGS: Wool or polyester long underwear. Then you have the choice of wearing a softshell climbing pant or ski pant, OR you could wear a fleece or wool pant with a light goretex shell on top.
TORSO: Wool or polyester long underwear (I like to wear a techwick T-shirt under this layer). Then a light insulating layer (fleece jacket or light down coat). Then on top you can wear a heavy goose down or synthetic parka, or a heavy ski jacket. Finally bring along a hard shell jacket to block water and wind.
HANDS: You will need a ski glove, AND a pair of mittens. Mittens are much warmer than gloves. Thin liner gloves are optional.
FACE: Neoprene or fleece balaclava (face mask). A pair of Ski Goggles, and sunglasses.
HEAD: Wool or fleece winter hat.

There are many different variations on this system and you just have to work with what you own and what you find works with your body. This layering system works really well for me, but I have found that out through experience and spending many nights out freezing my butt off wishing I wasn’t wearing my favorite cotton t-shirt.
The goal is to have several layers here that we can take off or put on depending on what our body temperature is calling for. Perhaps we will only be wearing our base layer while we are on the move to stay cool, but when we get to a break, we will then need to put on a big warm parka to maintain our body heat so we don’t start to get cold. It takes ALOT of energy to warm your body up, so let’s keep it warm or comfortable throughout the day as opposed to getting hot, then cold, then hot, then cold.

That’s about it folks! Happy shopping and I hope this answers some questions you may have!

– Corey