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I took pictures and posted my video report online Wednesday, mainly because the weather on Thursday is supposed to be poor and I wanted to be sure I got good pictures. We had 10" of snow Tuesday night, more coming down now and another possibly bigger dump predicted for Friday into Saturday. SHEESH After a low snow winter, we're sure in it now...
Frankly it's amazing to me that we are already into March and overall the ice season is at best mediocre. I'm not saying that we haven't had an ice season, because assuredly we have. But I think most of us would agree that it's been far from great. And usually at this time of year things are in wonderful shape. The thing to be aware of right now is the amount of snow that's basically everywhere right now. We usually think it's the ravines where you need to worry, and you still do of course. Here's an episode from yesterday in Tucks, Feb 28. The Avy center was saying conditions were rated as CONSIDERABLE and yet...there's always got to be somebody, right? Read the last sentence of today's avalanche forecast below!
YUP - there is a LOT of snow out there, so do be cautious folks. Even places that you think are safe, might not be as much as you think. Shoestring, the slope below Great Madness, slope below Goofers, Cinema, the upper ledges on Standard Route and even the slab to the right of the Monkey Wrench can be problematic... If it's loaded, it can slide.
SURVIVING MEDUSA SLIDESHOW:
Unfortunately I have other plans I can't cancel, but this looks GREAT!
If you've flipped through the latest issue of Alpinist magazine, you may have read the anxiety-inducing story of three climbers and their yearslong effort to scale one of North America's tallest unclimbed north faces. Ryan Driscoll, Justin Guarino, and Nick Aiello-Popeo are all members of the North Conway climbing community, and they've been plying their trade in the Greater Ranges for over a decade. The first ascent of Mt. Neacola's north "Medusa" face was the culmination of a lifetime of practice, spanning from the Cathedral Ledge to the Himalaya.
Join the climbers in support of Friends of the Ledges' bolt replacement initiative this Friday, March 3rd, at 6:00PM at Ledge Brewing Company (15 Town Hall Rd, Intervale, NH 03845). Hear the stories that didn't make it into Alpinist, as well as photos and video from the ascent.
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
SOME LOCAL/NATIONAL PANDEMIC STATISTICS AND THOUGHTS::
Do the math folks...
New Hampshire:
? deaths directly related to COVID this week (unpublished data)
1,120 active cases
25 Current hospitalizations being treated for COVID
2,987 Total deaths due to COVID-19
United States:
Confirmed: 103,389,954
Deaths: 1,119,550
Global:
Confirmed: 675,159,164
Deaths: 6,870,775
VALLEY CYCLING:
Rode up Sawyer River Road and then locally before the last couple of snows. Nothing is packed or groomed right now so I'm waiting on that.
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
Many have questioned the quality of this sort of achievement, deploring the use of pitons, tension traverses and expansion bolts, but the record speaks for itself. This is a technical age and climbers will continue in the future to look for new routes. There is nothing more satisfying than being a pioneer.
Allen Steck, justifying the 1st ascent of Sentinel's north face
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.
