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It was a chilly night last night, and it's going to be a much colder one tonight. And to top that, there are predictions for snow. I'll repeat that last word folks - SNOW!!!! That's right, perhaps as much as an inch of that white stuff that so many folks are Jonesin' for. WOO WOO Not that I'm all that excited about it personally, the snow that is.
I still have my rock shoes out and my regular mountain bike is still down off the hook in the garage, hoping that we'll have a few more days to get out there on warm granite and ride on dry trails. However, word has it that Wildcat Mountain will be opening for skiing this weekend, so that sets the standard I suppose. As long as it's chilly and they can make snow, that's all they need. Too bad somebody can't do that for ice. Ah well...
I was in Bridgeton Maine Thursday night at an open-mic and it started raining on the way home, just as was predicted. At 38 degrees it wasn't turning to any kind of snow-sleet event and I was happy about that.
And of course speaking of ice, I made the season's first pilgrimage up to the Notch this morning. It was more to see what is up with the road, than with any expectation of seeing ice. As I mentioned last week, the storm did indeed make a mess of things up there. Other than the fact that the bridge at Sawyer River Road that Irene washed away actually held up, there were many other sections that had issues. The worst was the section of road right by the Dry River Campground. The DOT has been digging and filling all week and today they were paving. Good thing they were 'cause it's getting colder tonight and tomorrow and from what I understand the asphalt plant will be closing in the next few days!
It was a sunny but chilly 26 when I got up at 6, and only 2 degrees warmer as I drove up into the Notch. That allowed for a hard frost and bits of ice here & there. More in shady places, but certainly nothing that I would even remotely consider swinging an axe into. I haven't heard anything about ice on Mt Washington or Cannon either, so I guess we're still in pause mode 'till we get more cold temps. Frankly that made be coming over the next day or 2, so stay tuned. But just to give you a hint of what's happening here in our Valley, here's some pictures of Frankenstein & Mt Willard from today.
I can't actually say that there is nothing out there that can't be climbed. That would be foolish. But for the average, or a little above average climber, that's probably correct. That said, I did hear that there is climbable ice on Parasol in Dixville Notch. Not sure how that will be after we get a foot of heavy wet snow on Saturday. Regardless, here's a few pix I took today just to document things.
Huntington Ravine
AVALANCHE
Repentance
OUT
Standard Route
OUT
Dracula
OUT
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
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MOUNT WASHINGTON VALLEY ICE FEST 2018:
In case you had forgotten, the 25 annual Ice Fest is coming up. Mark February 2-4 on your calendars and stay tuned. It's going to be a good one!
VALLEY CYCLING:
Amazingly, even after all the rain we've had in the past few weeks, there is very little mud on the trails and not all that much blow-down. I've been out on both the east and west sides several times this week and the trails are in good shape. Obviously the dry weather we had up until 3 weeks ago has a lot to do with it. But I'm not complaining that's for sure. I do have my fat tire bike all ready to go for when the snows start to come down.
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.
