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Wow, we haven't had a late ice season in a while, but this could be the one folks! It used to be that George Hurley and I would drop our taxes in the mail and go climb Dracula as a matter of course. Well that's been a while, but you might be able to do it this season. In spite of the several warmups we had this season, the ice has kept coming back in spades.
I decided to take my pictures a day early so I could get out and climb with George Hurley this morning. He has been wanting to do something more interesting than Standard Route or Dracula and we talked about Super Goofer. I've been wanting to get on it, and it still looks fat, but Goofers itself looks very thin. So I suggested the new pillar at the Hanging Garden that's the talk of the coffee shop. [wry grin] I dropped the kid off at the HS and George met me at the house at 8:30. We got on the road quick and were at Frankenstein by 9. There were 4 other cars already in the lot and David Lottmann was hanging around with his friend Ben waiting for 2 others to arrive. George and I booked down the tracks, eventually coming across Matt Bowman and Dave Karl gearing up below Dracula. I chatted for a minute, but George kept moving, heading up the hill. A mere 10 minutes later we were at the base of the climb. When George is on a mission he's like a horse with the bit between his teeth. David and 3 others came up the hill behind us, but by this time we had on our harnesses and crampons and were flaking the rope.
A very small amount of chatter ensued and George started up the climb. I've been climbing with him for over 20 years and it's always a pleasure to watch him climb. Even at 82 he has and economy of motion and focus that allows him to climb almost effortlessly. Here are some pictures and a link to a short video of him. Enjoy...
JOHN STRAND:
I heard the very sad news that John Strand passed away on Wednesday. John was a prolific climber in the Mount Washington Valley in the 80's, putting up many hard and bold routes such as California Girls, Cuff Link, The Last Strand and Reelin' In The Fears; as well as test pieces like Sticks and Stones with long time partner Tom Callaghan. John had been living in Colorado for many years and had some medical issues for the last 5 years or so. His legacy was of hard climbing in excellent style. For those in the know, John hated Tricams!
RIP John...
Ice Conditions Report:
Selected Ice Conditions effective April 24, 2024
It's all over for 2023/2024.
Huntington Ravine
OUT
Repentance
OUT
Standard Route
OUT
Dracula
OUT
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
Additional pictures are on the web site and facebook.
VALLEY CYCLING:
I've gotten out a couple of times this week. It took a few days for things to get packed out again after the storm, but it's been OK. The best place I've ridden was on the snowmobile trails at the Marshall Conservation land off West Side Road. It was soft after noon, but if you got out early it was wonderful. With another storm coming, I'm not sure how things will be this weekend, probably too soft. But if the snowmobiles get out, it could be awesome.
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:
Remember - climb hard, ride the steep stuff, stay safe and above all BE NICE,
Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire
I had the unique experience the next day: placing sixteen bolts in a row. It was just blank and there was no way around. But it was a route worth bolting for, and after a time I began to take an almost perverse joy in it, or at least in doing a good job.
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.
