Howdy Guys and Gals!
It’s been a while since our last post and I apologize for that! I hope everyone has been having an awesome winter so far! I know we have had a great January. February and March promise to be pretty epic as well. This past weekend was IceFest in the Mt. Washington Valley and that meant there were a ton of climbers around! We had perfect conditions for it too! The ice has really been in great shape this season (barring a couple unseasonably warm weeks mixed in).
The first weekend of February brought Skills Courses, Ice Climbing, and very successful Mt. Washington Climbs. On Friday our group got a late start due to the airlines cancelling some flights from Chicago, but we were able to salvage the day and get some great practice in! On Saturday we had a big group for Intro to Ice Climbing, as well as a full boat on Mt. Washington! With it being IceFest and all, we tried to get out there early and claim our spot on the ice, which we were able to do. We went over to Frankenstein cliff and climbed on Walk in the Forest (WI3). On Washington, all 8 got to the summit in beautiful conditions. If that wasn’t enough we had a really fun group for a one day skills course, prepping for their Mt. Washington Attempt the next day. Everyone was stoked when they got back to the bunkhouse. The bunkhouse was absolutely packed to the rafters with climbers sharing their stories from their climbs! We find great joy in the community we are creating and we love spending time with old friends and new!
On Sunday we had another smaller Intro to Ice Climbing group as well as a One Day Ice Climb scheduled. Both had great days on the ice with one climbing at Frankenstein and one on Mt. Willard. Our group of 6 (including two guides) made the summit of Mt. Washington as well on Sunday giving us a 100% summit rate for the weekend. The conditions were warm and breezy (relatively). We made really good time and the group was a blast to spend a day with!
This weekend is another busy one.. just how we like it. We have so many great trips planned this winter such as a couple presidential traverses, winter camping courses, and a bunch of Mt. Washington attempts and Ice Climbing courses. We’re so excited to share our love for the outdoors with everyone who is scheduled to climb this winter. Let’s go have a safe and fun winter!!!

We are extremely proud and honored to be working with the Appalachian Mountain Club to provide two incredible climbs this summer! Working with the AMC allows us to benefit from their world-class amenities and service and enhance our overnight packages.

The Appalachian Mountain Club promotes the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of the Appalachian region.

We believe these resources have intrinsic worth and also provide recreational opportunities, spiritual renewal, and ecological and economic health for the region. Because successful conservation depends on active engagement with the outdoors, we encourage people to experience, learn about, and appreciate the natural world. To learn more check them out online or like them on Facebook!

AMC PRESIDENTIAL TRAVERSE

When: Labor Day Weekend – Aug. 30 – Sept. 1, 2014
Where: Overnight at AMC Madison Spring Hut and AMC Lakes of The Clouds Hut
About: The alpine zone of the White Mountains of New Hampshire is a challenging yet stunning environment. Changeable weather is the name of the game in the White Mountains. Participants need to be prepared for all possibilities including sun, rain, cold, and wind.. A list of suggested clothing and equipment is provided in this packet. Participants should be good hiking shape and be prepared for an alpine adventure! Learn More Online

Space is Limited so Book Today!

AMC OVERNIGHT MT. WASHINGTON

When: Fourth Of July Weekend – July 5-6, 2014
Where: Overnight at AMC Madison Spring Hut and AMC Lakes of The Clouds Hut
About: Experiencing the alpine zone of the White Mountains of New Hampshire is a special treat. Join us on this guided adventure as we explore this challenging yet stunning environment. The highest mountain in the Northeast! Mt. Washington towers over its neighbors at an elevation of 6,288ft. It is also known for erratic weather and extremely strong winds. A climb of Mt. Washington in the winter is a serious undertaking and will incorporate all of your mountaineering knowledge. Participants should be in good physical shape with prior hiking experience.

Changeable weather is the name of the game in the White Mountains. Participants need to be prepared for all possibilities including sun, rain, cold, and wind. A list of suggested clothing and equipment is provided in this packet. Participants should be good hiking shape and be prepared for an alpine adventure! Learn More Online

Space is Limited so Book Today!

Looking forward to climbing with you this summer!

We had a productive weekend of ice climbing! The weekend before last, just about everything was in on Mt. Willard and Mt. Webster, however we had a warm-up and some rain mid-week that took out a lot of the ice. The good news is that with all of that moisture followed by Saturday and Sunday’s cool temperatures meant the ice was building once again. There were only a few routes that were in this weekend but we made the best of them. On Saturday we climbed a spicy Left Hand Monkey Wrench (fat on bottom and a bit of rock/ice on top) to the cleft. Due to the nature of the cleft we waited quite a while before starting up so we didn’t get pummeled by falling ice from the party above. The ice was brittle but the route was fairly fat.
On Sunday we climbed the slabs below the cleft which had plenty of good ice to be climbed. We considered climbing Upper Hitchcock which we scouted the day before but was told the upper pitch of it wasn’t looking too great. We decided to shoot up the cleft again. This time, the ice was even fatter and we had a wonderful climb to the top.
It looks like this week will bring a lot of precipitation and cold temps so we will be in great shape when the weekend rolls around. Here is our report from last weekends climbing on Willard..

Note: The approach gully from the tracks to lower hitchcock is a mix of running water, ice, and vergalassed rock. It was a bit of a nuisance to get up unless you wear your crampons or microspikes. The descent trail off Willard is 100% ice so crampons or microspikes are essential.

Left Hand Monkey Wrench – IN but a little trickier than usual at the top.
Slabs to the right of LHMW – IN
Lower Hitchcock – not sure but probably a bit thin.
Upper Hitchcock – Lower pitch is IN but the top-out is sketchy.
The Cleft – IN
East Face Slabs – IN
East Face Slabs Right – IN

Other things will be building this week.