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Well what a week it has been. It's felt a whole lot more like mid-March than mid-February, that's fo sho! On top of the weather, it's Massachusetts school vacation week, so that's made town just crazy. The traffic in town is nuts and all the stores are totally jammed. Heaven forbid you want something at the coffee or bagel shops. But that's just how our local economy functions. After all, No Co is the quintessential "tourist town".
Winterlude, off the Kanc is good as are the climbs at the Albany covered bridge. That's a cool place. A number of folks have asked about where to park if you want to climb at the Barking Dog. If it's not full, park at the pullout below Black Pudding and just walk the 200 yards back down the road just past the last house. DO NOT try to park down on the right next to the gazebo. Speaking of parking - I know I've mentioned this a couple of times, but folks keep getting caught in the ruts at the North End. While I gotta figure most are tourists, I'm not so sure. So just park near the kiosk and walk down the road.
Ice Conditions Report:
Selected Ice Conditions effective February 19, 2026
Just as you would expect following Ice Fest AND a week of truly balmy temps, going to be upper 30's today, the ice can be a mixed bag. I saw someone post about how things are terrible. But digging into it, I realized they were talking about places like the North End that are very well used. It probably gets the most use of all. There are only a few places that have really easy access to moderate climbing and where you can set up a bunch of top-ropes. So that's not unexpected. And of course the climbs that are getting a lot of full sun are getting somewhat punked-out. On my way back from Wolfeboro mid-afternoon a few days ago I took a look at Rainbow Slabs which look as if they are getting pretty funky. And I watched a hunk of the bottom of Way In The Wilderness fall down! IMO it's really the time to start paying attention to what you're walking underneath, any time of the day. Enjoy this weather, but keep paying attention...
Huntington Ravine
numerous options
Repentance
iffy
Standard Route
GREAT conditions
Dracula
IN & very fat
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
MT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY VALLEY WEATHER:
Weak high pressure will build in from the north today, producing mostly sunny and calm conditions throughout New England. High pressure will move offshore tomorrow, paving the way for a low-pressure system to approach from the southwest and impact the region later Friday into Friday night.
A dry airmass overhead will keep skies mostly sunny throughout today. A weak low-level flow will allow winds to remain rather calm throughout the forecast period. Building ridging off the East Coast will help temperatures recover above seasonal averages, with highs expected to reach the upper 30s. Overnight, a shortwave and an associated surface low-pressure system will move northeastward through the Midwest, swinging an elongated warm front towards the region. A blocking ridge to the north will then cause the system to stall and weaken over the Great Lakes on Friday before redeveloping off the Southern New England coastline overnight. As the storm advances, mid- and high-level clouds will gradually overspread the region later Thursday night, with overcast skies expected on Friday. Widespread snow will move into the region from southwest to northeast on Friday afternoon, before becoming heavier during the evening hours through the first half of the night. Lighter snow will then persist through the rest of the night as the low redevelops offshore. Snowfall totals of 5 to 10 inches are likely by Saturday morning, with exact amounts dependent on the placement of the heaviest banding.
MW AVALANCHE CENTER: MODERATE
You could trigger a small avalanche on steep south and east-facing snow-covered slopes above 3000 ft in elevation. Look out for areas of smooth, pillowy snow to identify potentially unstable areas. Travel on firm, hard, textured snow surfaces to reduce your exposure to unstable snow. Continue to use general caution when traveling on steep, snow-covered slopes and make ongoing observations of the snow surface to inform your decision-making.
MUSICAL NOTES
I'll be back at The Wentworth Inn in Jackson playing some swinging duo jazz with Jarrod Taylor from 5:30-7:30 tonight, 2/19. Then master singer/pianist Jim McLaughlin and I will be at Tuckerman Brewing on Sunday from 4-7.
If you are at all interested in what else is coming up with me musically, you can always see my schedule here: http://www.alhospers.com/?PageName=2
VALLEY CYCLING:
The groomed trails in the Valley have been in good shape. Marshall was excellent on Monday but Rogers was IMO too soft. That said the Coos Trail system in Gorham that you can access right from Big Day is great. Get out and ride folks...
Mobile Version Of NEClimbs:
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:
Check it out and if you have issues on your specific phone, please feel free to let me know.
NEClimbs & White Mountain Report On Facebook:
Join us and LIKE us on Facebook. I'll try and post interesting pix every Thursday and the latest Ice Report in the season, tho certainly not the whole Report. Here's where you can check it out:
Climbing is a very dangerous sport. You can get hurt or even kill yourself. When you go climbing, you do so of your own free will. Everything on this site is to be taken with a grain of salt. Don't blame us if you get up some totally heinous route, in over your head and fall and hurt yourself.
