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!
I took a ride over the hill and through the woods today. Or to be more specific over the Kanc to Lincoln, up through Franconia Notch past Canon, down to Twin Mountain, out Zealand Rd, down to Jefferson Notch Rd, back Mt Clinton Rd, up to Pinkham and back home. I didn't track the mileage, but it was over 100 miles. I've done it on the bike BITD and I know it's at least that. A few observations:
There is insignificant snow anywhere other than what is visible in the high elevations. None on Canon other than what they are blowing on the right side trails. There is some visible ice in the Black Dike bit it doesn't look like it is connectible, but there is always somebody... I wanted to walk into the Flume in Franconia Notch but the trails is closed for maintenance and I got caught trying to sneak in. The water levels on ALL the rivers and streams is VeRY low, and in some cases there is NO water. We are in a drought over all of NH and you can tell that the woods are a tinderbox.
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
And here is the 7 day weather prediction - YIKES. I know that nobody wants it to rain. BUT just snowing won't give us the moisture we need in the system for a good ice season. Honestly we haven't had a good solid rain for 2 months! So as stupid as it sounds, basically pray for some rain.
CLIMATE:
I got a note from Jimmy Voorhis a few days ago. He was a main force behind the project “The Effects of Climate Change on Ice Climbing in the Northeastern United States” that used my data. He has a blog that I found interesting so here's a link. There's some interesting stuff there.
MUSICAL NOTES:
I'm off this weekend, but it's not exactly like I don't have anything to do. I have tunes to learn for next Friday's jazz gig and 2 videos to process. All good stuff, but it's work - altho I call it play! Stay tuned...
If you're interested you can always see my schedule here:
http://www.alhospers.com/?PageName=2
VALLEY CYCLING:
I rode the Albany Town Forest trails off the Kanc on Wednesday. They were in great shape and fun as always. As mentioned otherwise, it's strange to see the the Swift River so VERY low. Still, the riding everywhere is quite good right 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:
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.
