Archives
A Fool’s Paradise
It’s the ice fest weekend. During this event many think every route in the White Mountains will be crowded. This is not the case, that is if you know what to do and when. The rains came just 24 hours before the official start to the fest, and once again many were lamenting. However, with […]
Renormalization – Taking the Sharp End
“The messed up weather we’ve had this winter makes climbs harder and rarer to form, but renormalization has become a concept in my life that transcends climbing. Emotions are heightened, patience is lacking – so much has changed and needs to be embraced. Nothing is as it once was.”
Super weekend for ice climbers
For many, this weekend is about one thing: the Super Bowl. For them it’s wings and nachos and the big game on the big screen. But not everybody. Each winter a dedicated cadre of outdoor enthusiasts save this weekend to get as far from the couch as they can. Instead of the game, the first weekend of February is a pilgrimage to the Mount Washington Valley. It’s a migration in search something wild: vertical ice.
World's First Trad M10?
The Austrians Albert Leichtfried and Benedikt Purner have established what is possibly the world’s hardest traditional mixed climb. Senza Piombo is located in Val Lunga, in the Dolomites of northern Italy and is a naturally protected five-pitch M10.
New rules to access La Pomme d’Or
La Pomme d’Or Every winter, skilled climbers take on the Pomme d’Or, a spectacular and perilous rock face along Rivière Malbaie. For permission to climb this ice wall in the park, you’ll need an access permit. Refer to Reservation Terms and Conditions for all the details. Climbers must be in excellent physical condition and totally independent, since the […]
Catskill Ice Festival 2013 – This Weekend!
The 15th Annual Catskill Ice Festival February 8, 9, 10, 11, 2013. The ice conditions are looking great for this event! Hope you can make it! Get pumped for the Ice Fest with A Local’s View of the Devil’s Kitchen by Ryan Stefiuk. “Last year was great fun. This year we will have multiple clinics on all the skills […]
Fixing the Radio
With Helicopters something always needs fixing or improving. I was trying to carry too much and I dropped the radio breaking 2 switches. We lost the day of flying but the fix is easy! Go to Radio Shack and buy new switches. They fit perfect!
A Local’s View of the Devil’s Kitchen
Do the Catskills have any WI6 ice? What do grade 6 ice routes even look like? For a long time I didn’t think I knew what WI 6 ice routes were. I think we northeasterners have been very modest about our grading of hard ice routes. The definition of grade 6 I found on the Alpinist website […]
20% OFF all Grivel Ice Screws!
Get ’em while they’re hot!! (or….cold)
Grivel Crampon Sale!
20% of G20, G22, and Rambo IV, not to mention almost anything else needed at THE best mountaineering shop in the east!
