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Sunrise is coming much later and Sunset earlier... [sheesh] And the weather has just been too too nice not to be climbing. Last Wednesday I got on Cormier-Magness with Matty Bowman, a blast as always. On Friday I hit Jockey Cap with my new-ish neighbor Michael O'Brien, and on Monday I hoofed down to Wolfeboro to climb at Rines Hill with George Hurley and Jim Nupp. SWEET...
I've loved to play around at Jockey Cap ever since I moved here, in '97. The left side wall are great in the early spring and late fall when the leaves are off the trees and it's sunny. Both the fall and all the other boulders are a perfect place to work on your skills. There is also a couple of nice trad lines, my fave being the one that starts at the left toe of the Cap, wanders up the left side of the slab, steps around the arete to some amazing flakes and continues up to the upper dish. There are a half dozen interesting bolted lines that Brad White was involved in that will provide you with a couple of hours of 5.6-8 fun. You can also access them from the anchors at the top.
Then on Monday I climbed at Rines Hill with George Hurley and Jim Nupp. It's always inspiring to get out with them and just poke around. Usually we don't do anything hard, just have fun. I led Dike Step and we threw a TR on Layback Crack to get started, Then Jim showed us a couple of very short new routes about 50' right of Dike Step that someone from Brewster Academy had cleaned. I tried to lead what was supposed to be a 5.4! I would say that the main part of it IS 5.4-ish. However I didn't like the mantle move top-out with your last year below your feet, so Jim finished it... George and I did it on a TR tho. The one to its left, 5.9 is much harder, also with an unprotected top-out. A single bolt below the top would make them both reasonable, but what do I know?
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 - 2:
The only times the bugs have bothered me has been in the very early morning and late evening. There were no bugs at Jocky Cap or Rines Hill. That said, a man in Maine has been diagnosed with EEE from a mosquito bite!
> > MUSICAL NOTES:
This is CRAZY week and the weather looks to be good! I'm with the Jim McLaughlin Trio at Rosa Flamings's in Bethlehem on Thursday 5-8, The Majestic Cafe in Conway on Friday 6-9 with the same trio - this time playing jazz, at a private event on Saturday and then with my own band at Tuckerman Brewing Company on Sunday 3-6. This is absolutely too much fun! [WHEW]
VALLEY CYCLING:
The Valley trails are in great shape right now. Unsurprisingly everything is dry, even in some places that are usually wet. So this is THE time to get on it.
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.
