NEClimbs - information for New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont rock and ice climbers
IceCON 1. Climbs just coming in or only in upper elevations like Ravines.
1 out of a possible 5
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May 6, 2021

Hi Folks,

I'm not writing much of a Report this week, tho there are a few things to Report. [wry grin] I just have too many other things going on today and tomorrow. Not the least of which is after several rainy daze, we had a very nice sunny day today. Requiring me to spend a couple of hours weeding, tilling and planting the garden, give a bass lesson, work on the bike, go for a ride, put up 3 screens, etc. I just hope your day was a good one...

OPENINGS:
The gate to the top of Cathedral Ledge has been opened and according to park manager Erik Nelson it will generally remain open this season. In addition all of the other notches are open as well.

EVEREST, NEPAL AND COVID:
I don't want to comment, so I'll just leave these for you to read and assess for yourselves...

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/05/05/993837355/covid-19-reaches-mount-everest-as-nepal-struggles-with-record-infections?

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/05/05/world/covid-vaccine-coronavirus-cases#mount-everest-covid

https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/covid-19-spreads-at-dhaulagiri-base-camp-after-everest

DROUGHT:
3 days of rain has helped the situation, however I noticed today that in spite of the rainfall the MTB trails are surprisingly dry.

https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NH
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 Click to see route picture.
Dracula OUT Click to see route picture.
For the full current conditions report, CLICK HERE

SOME LOCAL/NATIONAL PANDEMIC THOUGHTS:
In NH Walmart is offering walk-in vaccine shots and you don't even have to be a NH resident. WOO WOO! So there is no real impediment to getting vaccinated at this time other than your desire or reticence. And I truly hope that you will get vaccinated so we can get back to something close to normal this summer.

Thank you...

New Hampshire:
3 new death reported.
269 new cases reported.
COVID-19 deaths total 1,311.
Active cases total 1,849.
88 patients are currently hospitalized

US:
Confirmed: 32,593,882
Deaths: 579,977


Global:
Global Confirmed: 155,475,984
Global Deaths: 3,247,557

The Johns Hopkins COVID-19 tracking map:

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map

I find JHU's Daily COVID-19 Data in Motion report to be very informative. It shares critical data on COVID-19 from the last 24 hours in a short 1 minute animated video format.

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-daily-video

PLEASE - GET VACCINATED, WEAR A MASK, WASH YOUR HANDS, BE NICE!

REMEMBER - WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER

VALLEY CYCLING:
As mentioned above, even tho we had 3 days of rain the trails are surprisingly good. I rode the Electric Loop this afternoon and the only wet spots were the ones that are generally wet. That means we were VERY dry before the rain.

I have had an interesting incident with the bike. After a nice ride on Monday morning I was close to home and got a small stick in my chain back near the wheel. I stopped and pulled it out, but when I continued my ride there was a very unsettling clack-clack-clack noise coming from my drivetrain. I couldn't tell what it was and at first thought perhaps it was some of the stick left in the chain, but that did not seem to be the case. Back home I threw the bike up on the stand and looked at it briefly, but couldn't see the problem. Then since it rained for several days I put off looking again until this morning. I had an idea that it was in my chain, so I washed off the bike and cleaned and lubed the chain, but that didn't change things! My friend Chris Krugh is an independent bike mechanic so I called him up, told him the problem and he said to swing by at noon. I got there, pulled the bike out of the car at his place and he hopped on it and rode around his yard. He stopped at one point, chuckling to himself, and fiddled with the chain by the rear derailleur. He passed me the bike and said, "Here...all set." I stared at him, hoped on and the noise was gone! Turns out that the teeth on the derailleur cogs are alternating wide and narrow to match what the chain is! Apparently they have to set correctly or it makes this noise every time a tooth in the cog rotates in the chain. It's hard to describe in words. But moving the small cog ahead or back one tooth makes it mesh properly and the noise is gone. [sheesh] So if this happens to you, see if this is the issue. Needless to say I'm glad it was nothing major, considering that it's getting almost impossible to get bike parts now!

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:

http://www.neclimbs.com/mobile

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:

http://www.facebook.com/NEClimbs/

Remember - climb hard, ride the steep stuff, stay safe and above all BE NICE,

Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire


To truly raise the standards of free climbing, you can't sacrifice style or purity for a higher number.
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