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There are still some folks holding out hope the they can get in some ice climbing in the lower elevations. YUP, that's right... I've gotten emails and text messages asking how things look at Frankenstein and on Mt Willard. I thought I spelled it out last week, but I guess I wasn't clear. So, to make things "crystal" here are some pics taken this morning. I think they get the point across. [wry grin]
The Ice Report is officially closed for this season. Tho some folks will still go up on Mt Washington, there is nothing climbable in the lower regions.
OK, so Ice season is over, and it's time to think about warm rock, mountain bike rides and the occasional road bike junket. I'll discuss the latter below, but I feel the need to remind everyone that there is still some objective danger to be found on the cliffs, at least until we have more warm days and nights, as well as rain. Tho Cathedral looks pretty good right now, it's always darker than Whitehorse and therefore still has some ice hidden in various nooks and crannies. I personally avoid it until I can ride up there road, at least on a bike. The right side of Whitehorse always has ice and snow hanging around on the upper slabs for some time. You can't see it from anywhere on ethics's ground nearby, but you can get a good view from the strawberry fields. That said, the South Buttress is almost always a good option in the early season. Plus you can see it from the open area across the golf course in Hale's Location. Of course the main wall on Humphrey's Ledge is the premier early & late season place to climb. Not only is there rarely any ice above, The fact that it's pretty much south facing makes it's toasty warm even on quite cool days. Unfortunately Geriatric Walls on the left don't get as much sun and are often wet until late Spring.
Here are some pictures of the rock areas on the valley. I included the Unicorn so you can still see some snow & ice still on the ledge, which is directly above the North End cracks!
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
VALLEY CYCLING:
Unfortunately the singletrack trails and logging roads either aren't clear of snow, or are too muddy to ride in the woods here right now. That leaves those of us who like to ride the bike to have to get out on the road. While I used to be an avid road rider, 2,000+ miles a year and been to France to ride the Pyrenees, I'm not so much into it any more. There were just far too many close calls on the road for me to be comfortable. That said, since it's been hard to even get on dry rock right now, I was reduced this week to finding some places to ride. On Sunday I decided to ride down West Side Road to Passaconaway, over Hale's Estates, and back. Only a moderate 12 miles, but not too bad. Tuesday was a gorgeous day so I drove out to Sabbaday Falls and rode up to the top of the Kanc and back. another 13 miles, with a bit of a hillclimb for fun. Amazingly there were fairly few cars on the road, more motorcycles actually. As always I stayed in the middle of the road on the way down, and fortunately there were no cars or motorcycles on my side until I got down to the flats! I absolutely love it when that happens.
Needless to say my favorite rides on the road these daze are Passaconaway Road, Evans Notch, Bear Notch Road and Hurricane Mountain Road while they are still gated. And of course I do enjoy riding the Jackson hills almost any time of the year as they have so little traffic. You just have make do with whatever you can, right?
I was actually planning on riding from Arethusa Falls to the top of Crawford Notch this morning since it started out pretty nice here in the Valley. A nice 10-12 mile ride was going to help me rationalize a cinnamon bun from the Old Town Bakery. [wry grin] Unfortunately even before I got to Frankenstein, it became obvious that wasn't going to happen. Not only was it cloudy and the wind was howling, but it started to rain. [boo] I guess I'll have to save that one, and the cinnamon bun, for next week!
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
Naked male sport climbers? No! I want naked male trad hogs! Pushing 50 or over, very hairy chest and back, front tooth missing (no dental insurance), wrinkled yellow toenail fungus, sunburnt dome with long gray ponytail (sparse curls will do), fingers the size of Polish sausages, torn-off nipples due to offwidth damage... Now there's a man, an image to behold, every climber chick's dream. And when he says: 'Hey, honey, wanna do the DNB?' you just melt into a heap of adoring lard.
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.
