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December 25, 2014
Hi Folks,
My very best wishes to all of you all for a Happy Holidays. I would like to say that Santa brought us a sack of beautiful ice, but unfortunately that was not the case. What he brought was a real breath of Spring through the middle of the week and into the weekend. We've had 2 days of drizzle and warmish temps, followed now by sun and temps in the upper 40's! If this was late march or early April it would be wonderful, but it's certainly not what I had put on my Xmas List!
Xmas.jpg
I took a ride up into the notch after we opened presents this morning and unfortunately things weren't good at all. While there was some ice still standing, there is a lot less than before. The river is really high up there and there is massive amounts of water flowing. Both upper cascades look like Spring, there is a big waterfall running right down the middle of Willies, and there are waterfalls on Cinema and Elephant Head. The temps are in the mid-40's here in et Valley and low 40's at the top of the Notch. The only good thing is that the predictions starting on Sunday are for much colder temps. With all this water in the system, hopefully the ice will form up in interesting places. At least that's my New Year's wish. [wry grin]
The over weekend and first couple of days of the week were pretty nice. Temps at night in the 20's and days in the low 30's really helped top build the ice. I got out on Monday to climb with by old friend Paul Cormier and his 20-something son, Joe. I'd been keeping my eye on The Snot Rocket at the top of Crawford Notch. I heard that it had been done on Sunday, so I figured I better grab it while I could and I was right. We got there around 10:30 and my fellow IMCS guide Max Lurie and his friend from EMS were already there, finishing it off. By the time we were geared up, they were rapping off so things worked out well. Paul led us up P1. I've always gone up just right of the corner, but this time there was the best ice 20' to the right. I followed next and Joe came up behind. Then I took the upper oil;law pitch. It was quite nice climbing into the woods. There was a weird moment when I knocked a big hunk of ice loose above the top of the pillar. I was able to hold it in place while Paul and Joe took refuge behind the curtain. When I let it loose it came down right where Paul had been standing! WHEW… The rap off was a bit tricky with all the hanging daggers, but it was basically uneventful. At least we got in something of significance before the rains came.
SnotRocket_1.jpg
SnotRocket_2.jpg
SnotRocket_3.jpg
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Up on one of the Mount Washington Valley's finest crags and want to know what that climb you're looking at is? Or maybe you're on your way up from Boston and want to check out the Ice Report for your upcoming weekend plans. Or more likely, you're at work just want to daydream about your next adventure. Well if you have a smart phone handy, you can get to NEClimbs from anywhere you have cell service. While it doesn't offer every single feature of the site and it's not an "app", in mobile form, it does do a whole lot and is very useful. Here is the live link to the mobile version of NEClimbs:
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Remember - climb hard, ride the steep stuff, stay safe and above all BE NICE,
Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire
| Lightly hazed in blue mist, the tiny, clustered town - pale pebbles and mica flashes of light - was no more than stony shingle at the bottom of a deep pool. |
| Dermot Somers |
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