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So if you haven't heard, we've had a helluva storm that blasted across New England starting on Monday evening and continuing into Tuesday night. The accumulation was varied, but the Valley got 12-14, Notches about the same and Fryeburg 18+! Unfortunately it's not powder either, heavy wet stuff damnit. Trees came down, power and cable lines came down, roads were closed, schools were closed, cars went off the roads, and overall it was a real mess. And in fact it still is a mess out there. Several friends still can't get out of their driveways.
I had some family things to take care of and had to drive to DC on Monday, which was brutal. It started with fog and then rained cats and dogs almost the whole way. I'm on my back as you are reading this. Tho I had the driveway plowed on Tuesday, I am REALLY not looking forward to dealing with the rest of the cleanup that I know will be there waiting. With a foot of heavy wet stuff on the roof, I'm even going to have to rake the roof much earlier than I've ever had to do. ARRRGGGHHH!
I've talked to several fellow guides, some of whom were out on Wednesday. The general consensus is that while there IS ice to climb, and YES, it's neat that we can climb in November, it's time to be cautious. Especially since we've had a warmup, rain, massive snow dump, some more rain, and Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM it was 37 degrees. Sure there is some good ice, but there is also a lot of spooky undermined ice. A good friend just texted me and said that they backed off the Monkey wrench this morning due to detached ice and 2 feet of sticky snow with rock underneath!
Now is a time to be VERY cautious.
Here are some pictures my friend Paul McCoy sent me of Standard Route Wednesday. As he put it; "Kind of spooky. Undermined ice covered in a foot of sticky snow". You can see lots of snow, and minimal ice n the pictures. FYI I am planning on driving up into the Notch Friday mid-morning and should have pictures posted by late afternoon.By then things should have sloughed somewhat and we can see more of what things look like.
And one more thought... A foot+ of heavy wet white is prime territory for slough avalanches. Not just in the Ravines, but everywhere. Everywhere on Mt. Willard, the slabs at the North End, the little Trestle slab and yes, even Standard Route. Just be aware of what things look like.
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
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REGARDING THE TRAIN!!!!:
And now there is something else to worry about... Yes, I know I said it wasn't running, however apparently I was WRONG folks. I got the word from my friend Paul McCoy that it ran past Frankenstein yesterday, Wednesday. I realize that the online schedule doesn't show it, but that's what they are doing. Just because it hasn't come by, doesn't mean it won't. DO NOT leave your gear or pack on or near the tracks. I feel fairly confident that they will NOT stop and move it for you! If you are going to climb on the Trestle Mixed or Slab climbs, keep your eyes and ears open. When you are walking across the trestle, do not dawdle and be prepared to hustle. We do NOT want to start a confrontation with the Scenic Railroad. This is THEIR right of way and we use it basically on sufferance. We do NOT want to loose access. And of course we don't want anyone getting hurt.
VALLEY CYCLING:
Nothing, nada right now. Between the previous storm and this one it's just too much of a mess to ride. But that's going to change as soon as the snowmobiles start riding and grooming, and they start grooming inWhittaker Woods. I'm hoping for no more than another 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.
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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.
