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Well IMNSHO we sure dodged a bullet with this last storm. After 3 biggies in 10 daze, nobody I know was too thrilled with having to deal with the aftermath of another Nor'Easter. Sure, the ski community digs it, but it really doesn't do anything for the climbing other than make it harder to get around.
I got out last Friday with a bunch of friends planning to do Dracula. There were no cars at the Frankenstein lot when we arrived and there 2' of snow on the tracks. George broke trail to the trestle and I broke down to Standard. Sheesh, what a hassle. Dave Karl and I decided to see if we could do Standard Left and George & friends decided to check out Dracula. There was an amazing amount of snow so they decided to follow us and do Standard.
My partner Dave traversed across the snowfield below the middle of Standard to the tree. I followed and then tried to get up to the start of the ice. Unfortunately it was all snow plastered over rock, so I traversed back right and led up the middle of Standard. In retrospect we did some things that really weren't all that smart. The slope we traversed across was a fully loaded snow slope at 45 degrees with close to 3' of powder. Just to get TO the start of Standard middle you're in it. [Can you spell STUPID?]
I set up a belay about 40' from the ledge, brought Dave up and he led up to the ledge and brought me up. Then I led up the right hand pillar, the one that doesn't come in very often. It was steep, aerated and hard! The left side of it was very fragile. Regardless it was fun!
The walk off from Standard was a MAJOR slog. Traversing across the top of Dracula and the other little gully was definitely dicey. We walked across under the Hanging Garden and I continued over to Dracula, past Dropline and Penguin back to our packs while Dave went down to the tracks and then back up. In several places in the woods I felt VERY uncomfortable. Honestly it was foolish. Snow was 3' deep in places and could have let go at any time, even in the woods! Just goes to show how you can get caught up in something and all caution goes to the winds...
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
Of course the regular Thursday ice pix are on NEClimbs.com and Facebook, but here are some of the other pix.
VALLEY CYCLING:
The past few weeks have been crappy for fat tire riding here in the Valley. The only places decent to ride have been Whittaker Woods, Great Glen and Kingdom Trails - the latter being 90 minutes away. Of course these are all places that groom their trails. Prior to the last storm I was really thinking that we'd be riding in the woods sooner than later, but now I'm not so sure.
FRIENDS OF THE LEDGES - 2018 FUNDRAISER
Friends of the Ledges is a volunteer organization dedicated to the stewardship of local climbing areas and to preserving the historical tradition of climbing in the eastern White Mountains of New Hampshire and Maine. Highlights from the past couple years include replacement of 93 bolts and partnering with the Access Fund on major trail work and the opening of Band M Ledge. Plans for the future include additional trail work at Cathedral Ledge and continued bolt replacement including a couple popular lines on Whitehorse Ledge.
Friends of the Ledges can’t continue this work without your support and our early 2018 fundraising goal is $3,000. Please visit our website to learn more and donate:
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.
