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Day after day of rain this week has been a real drag that's for sure. A major storm on Monday caused some pretty widespread flooding here. Not as bad as Irene in 2011, but pretty bad. Bad enough that I still haven't gotten out to climb, even tho all my gear is ready...
West Side Road was closed and we couldn't get into town from this side of the Valley for about 6 hours, and on top of that the Kanc was even closed! The Mt Washington Autoroad was in the process of getting ready to open, but that's not going to happen for some time as a big chunk of the paved road above treeline was destroyed. [yikes] Many people had their roads and driveways washed away and there were lots of trees down. Fortunately we never lost power. We are mostly back to normal, but it really was quite the mess. Here are a few pictures:
I've been out doing a little work in the garden and I should mention that there are flying bugs and ticks! I gotta think that when we have the predicted warmup starting Saturday, the blackflys are going to start to swarm. [damnit]
I rode on the east side on Sunday before the rain and spotted the attached image of some graffiti on one of the pillars in the quarry area. I don't know why I was surprised, but I guess that this kind of crap is everywhere these days:
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
INSTANT BUG REPORT - 1:
The blackflys are starting to swarm, but so far I haven't been bitten. [whew] I have bee our riding and gardening and also haven't seen much in the way of mosquitoes. Perhaps that's due to it still remaining on the chilly side at night. That won't last of course. BUT the ticks are another matter. I've only gotten a couple on me, but my friends who are out much more have had a LOT. I think that they are the much bigger worry this year. Be vigilant with the bug dope and inspections every time you're out there, even just in the yard!
VALLEY CYCLING:
The trails on the east side were good through last weekend, but not so now. It would be a good idea to stay off of them until at least the middle of next week. There has been so much rain that the ground, even in the sandy places, hasn't been able to absorb it all. Besides that, the downhill trails off Hurricane Mountain Road took a serious hit and it's going to take quite a lot of work to bring them back. Might be a good time to make a donation to NEMBA and NOCO. Here's some of the cool work they have been doing this spring:
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.
