Like reading the White Mountain Report every week? Why not get it delivered to your e-mailbox every Thursday? All you have
to do is subscribe. It's fast, painless, and best of all it doesn't cost you
a dime!
HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS... Here's to a great 2023 with more ice and fewer storms. Stay safe, stay well and PLEASE BE NICE...
We've had 3 weeks where it's rained and gotten warm. And just when you think we're headed back to ICE, it resets again. This week gave is a FULL RESET, so I have little to nothing to say about the state of the ice. For all practical purposes there isn't any to climb. And what little there is left standing/hanging is very dangerous.
Just before it all went to crap I got out for my annual ice climb with a friend from NY/CT. With time concerns we decided to head to the North End rather than drive into the Notch. I led Thresher and we dropped a rope on the pillar just to its left. I'm glad I didn't try to lead it cause it was very candled and fragile. It was good fun tho. Walked back along the cliff to check out various climbs but I would NOT suggest doing that now! I've seen big ice falling down over the past several days. So just stay tuned.
FUNDRAISER RESULTS 2023:
Special THANKS go out to the 93 donors to NEClimbs & the 2023 White Mountain Report Fundraiser. Believe me when I say that I appreciate every single donation, no matter how small. The donation list should be current now.
Thank you once again for your support...
SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION:
I will be playing at Ledge Brewing on Saturday Jan 7 with the Jim McLaughlin Band. Swing by if you're feeling it... The music will be hot and beers cold! This is the place where we all meet up and get outfitted for Ice Fest.
Ice Conditions Report:
Selected Ice Conditions effective February 19, 2026
Just as you would expect following Ice Fest AND a week of truly balmy temps, going to be upper 30's today, the ice can be a mixed bag. I saw someone post about how things are terrible. But digging into it, I realized they were talking about places like the North End that are very well used. It probably gets the most use of all. There are only a few places that have really easy access to moderate climbing and where you can set up a bunch of top-ropes. So that's not unexpected. And of course the climbs that are getting a lot of full sun are getting somewhat punked-out. On my way back from Wolfeboro mid-afternoon a few days ago I took a look at Rainbow Slabs which look as if they are getting pretty funky. And I watched a hunk of the bottom of Way In The Wilderness fall down! IMO it's really the time to start paying attention to what you're walking underneath, any time of the day. Enjoy this weather, but keep paying attention...
Huntington Ravine
numerous options
Repentance
iffy
Standard Route
GREAT conditions
Dracula
IN & very fat
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
ICE FEST 2023:
This is the 30 year anniversary of Ice Fest and it's going to be a good one! The official date is February 3-5, 2023. Stay tuned for website and registration updates, guest guide information, and party details. If you have any questions, you can call IMCS directly at (603) 356-7064.
Here's something cool - IMCS guide Mark Vanover and I will be co-leading a clinic on Friday titled "Just For Seniors 55+". Since Mark and I are still out here doing our best to get at it, I gotta figure that we have something that we could impart to those of us still wanting to climb as we get older. I for one am looking forward to it. That said, you could jump in if you're only 50! [LOL]
The official date is February 3-5, 2023. Stay tuned for website and registration updates, guest guide information, and party details. If you have any questions, you can call IMCS directly at (603) 356-7064.
SOME LOCAL/NATIONAL PANDEMIC THOUGHTS:
You do NOT want to get sick right now.
New Hampshire:
1 new deaths reported so far this week
1,873 active cases
26 Current hospitalizations being treated for COVID
2,851 Total deaths due to COVID-19
United States:
Confirmed: 100,502,320
Deaths: 1,090,779
OUR ONLY WAY OUT IS IF YOU GET VACCINATED, WHERE RECOMMENDED PLEASE STILL WEAR A MASK, WASH YOUR HANDS!
VALLEY CYCLING:
Strangely enough I haven't been riding a lot this past week. I had some plans for Sawyer River Road and Bear Notch, but they just didn't pan out. That said, I have the studded tires on the fat bike now and plan to get out after New Years. It's a RESOLUTION. [wry grin]
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
Lightly hazed in blue mist, the tiny, clustered town - pale pebbles and mica flashes of light - was no more than stony shingle at the bottom of a deep pool.
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.
