Mt Washington Valley Ice Fest Recap – 2015

They save the best for last. The biggest Ice Fest in the Northeast was incredible this year. My only regret was that there was not enough time to do all I wanted, and not enough time to be with my friends.

I left home with 10 gallons of soup and two Helicopters. I returned with no soup and two intact helicopters ;-). Soup is not a hard sell when it is 10 degrees and I had a great time at Cathedral Ledge Sunday dishing up hot soup to cold and tired climbers. The weather was not the best for flying and my time was tight but I did manage to get some good footage of the valley and Whitehorse Ledge.

Sarah Hueniken, Jonathan Griffith and Miron Chlebosz gave great presentation to a full house. Miron gave us a look at the incredible Tatras Mountains in Poland and Jon had the audience in stitches and kept it moving with spectacular images! Jon is also into Drones and we had a great time talking as we watched Peter work “Black Magic” at Cathedral Ledge.

Ice fests are like a family reunion to me and I am sad that this was the last one of the season. I am already looking forward to next year.

Many thanks to Rick & Celia Wilcox, Brad White,  IMEIMCS guides, Guest guides, the Ice Fest Planning Team and all the people that make the MWV Ice Fest happen. Thank You!

And a special thank you to Courtney Ley for her help at the Ice Fest and all she does for NEice.

Enjoy the photos and videos below.

~Doug Millen

Some Great Climbing

Photos by Doug Millen and Majka Burhardt

A Few Ice Fest Photos

Photos by Krissy Noel Carey

Valley and Ledges by Ardu

Mt Washington Valley / Whitehorse Ledge, North Conway NH

I managed to get some free time between Ice Fest duties and meetings to do a little flying. I had never flown at Whitehorse Ledge so I meet up with Scott Barber (scottbarberfilm.com} Saturday morning to show DSC01158Scott my machines and test some new settings. Scott is just getting in flying and we had a lot of fun. I was able to catch some good footage of the Valley and the Ledge on my test flights Saturday,  and while heating the Soup up that afternoon. I wish the weather was better on Sunday when I had more time, but single digits, wind and snow grounded the fleet.

 

Flight by Ardu, flying, filming and editing by Doug Millen

Black Magic

Cathedral Ledge, North Conway NH

Peter Doucette working out the moves on Black Magic (M9) during the MWV Ice Fest 2015. Peter sent it clean on Tuesday, ground up placing gear the whole way. Nice work Peter!

Peter Doucette / Mountainsenseguides.com

Photos by Doug Millen

Apres fun at IME

 

MWV Ice Fest Recap & Thank You’s!

THANK_YOU

 The Guides and Crew

“The 2015 Mount Washington Ice Fest was hands down our best ever, but it only happened with many helping hands, talent, and passion! Wow, we are still coming down from an awesome high, we had a blast this year!”

See the full Thank You From the Ice Fest Crew 


Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest 2015

This Weekend!

The 22nd Annual

MWV Ice Fest 2015

Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest 2015

Feb. 6th-8th, 2015, North Conway, NH

Some highlights:

  • Ice climbing, mixed climbing, and mountaineering clinics with IMCS & Guest Guides (room still available!)
  • Climbing demos from 12+ sponsors
  • Morning coffee sponsored by Frontside Grind at the American Alpine Club Table
  • Beer sponsor, Tuckerman Brewing Company
  • FOOD! Gusto’s Food Truck will be at IME during Apres and at the evening events

Evening events held at Theater In The Wood, Intervale, NH

Friday Evening Events, 7pm, $10, at Theater In The Wood, Intervale, NH

  • Featured Presenter: Sarah Hueniken
  • American Alpine Club Silent Auction to benefit the Live Your Dream Grant

Saturday Evening Events, 7pm, $10, at Theater In The Wood, Intervale, NH

  • 15 Minute Opener: Miron Chlebosz
  • Featured Presenter: Jonathan Griffith

NEice and The Soup Kitchen Return with delicious homemade soup during the Apres Climbing Hour at IME Friday & Saturday, 3:30-5:30.  NEice has been bringing hot soup to ice climbers for over a decade and contributes to all the major Ice Festivals in the Northeast. The soup is alway a hit after a day out in the cold! Doug will also have his latest drones and some awesome footage from the UP project.

See more details at www.mwv-icefest.com/blog/

and at  www.iceclimbingforums.com

MWV Ice Fest Poster 2015

2015_IceFest_sticker

 

Smuggs Ice Bash Wrap-Up – 2015

Smuggler's Notch Ice Bash

 

The Smuggs Ice Bash in Smugglers Notch VT was too much fun! It gets bigger and better every year.

So let’s get right down to it. Friday night’s Kick-off Party and Dry Tool Competition at Petra Cliffs was a blast. DJ Kanganade was spinning and the competitors were sending. There was a large field of competitors this year and some stiff competition. Many thanks to Matt McCormick for the MC work and Steve Charest for tool retrieval and solid belays.

And the winners are…

The Dry tool Comp. winners. Smuggs Ice Bash 2015

The Dry Tool Comp Winners. Smuggs Ice Bash 2015 (winners left to right)

Men’s

  1. Roy Quanstrom
  2. Tyler Kempney
  3. Peter Hoang

Women’s

  1. Andrea Charest
  2. Alexa Siegel
  3. Marissa Gorman

Now lets put things in motion.  The Highlight Reel!

Saturday and Sunday were filled with tons of free gear demos and clinics for all abilities and levels. The weather was gorgeous on Saturday, sunny and in the 30’s. The road up the Notch was packed with climbers psyched on the weather and the ice conditions. After it was all over, we were treated with three great presentations by Alden Pellett, Michael Wejchert and Will Mayo. The next day it was back to normal winter weather with temperatures in the single digits. And when everyone came down the Notch from a cold day of climbing, the hot soup prepared by Doug was the perfect warm-up.

We will let the photos speak for themselves.

[nggallery id=59]

On Saturday, as the climbers headed up the road, Doug prepared the air fleet to grab some aerial footage of the Notch. The winds were calm, temperatures mild and the flying was fantastic.

NEice was proud to be apart of this years Smuggs Ice Bash and can’t wait till next year!

 

Photos by Courtney Ley and Doug Millen

 

Catskill Ice Festival 2015

AlpineEndeavors

The 17th Annual Catskill Ice Festival

January 30, 31, February 1, 2, 2015

This year again they will have multiple clinics on all the skills and techniques you need to get out on ice – from basic skills, to dry-tooling, to glacier travel techniques.

Demo ice climbing gear from Black Diamond, Petzl, La Sportiva, Outdoor Research and Rab.

Slide show will be held  Saturday at Rock and Snow at 8pm.

Saturday Slideshow:

NEice’s Doug Millen – Oh What a Long Strange Trip it’s Been!

Doug Millen reflects on the last 15 years at the helm of of NEice.com. Doug takes us on a journey of the ups, downs and glory days of NEice “A journey beyond my wildest dreams”. The Best of the Best from NEice.com. Including never seen photos and video from the Northeast. And a look at the UP project. Drones are fast becoming common place and Doug is on the leading edge. Have a look at his latest machines and where he is headed.

The demo gear will be located at Rock and Snow – so you can try out the latest Harnesses, Ice Tools, Crampons, and clothing from the best companies. You know them – Black Diamond, Petzl, La Sportiva, Outdoor Research & Rab.

Rates are $150 per person per event – Slideshows are free!

As an added bonus – Rock and Snow will offer 15% off for ice gear and apparel for all icefest registrants from the time they sign up through the end of the ice fest. All you need is to print out and show them the confirmation email we send when you register for it.

NEice will be at the Devils Kitchen on Saturday handing out hot soup and flying the drones. Hope to see you there!

More Information Here…

Catskill Ice Fest Cover Image


Sometimes the Leader Does Fall

A Look Into the Experiences of Ice Climbers Who Have Fallen on Ice Screws

by Kel Rossiter / Adventure Spirit 

Sometimes the Leader Does Fall

INTRODUCTION

Last winter a climber with Adventure Spirit Rock+Ice+Alpine was asking me about the holding power of ice screws. We discussed the various lab studies that have been done (a list of links to some interesting ones can be found at the bottom of this paper) then he said, “That’s great, but has anyone ever specifically done research into how they actually perform in the field?” He had a point. While the dictum in ice climbing is that “the leader never falls,” in the end, they sometimes do. So presumably there was an ample population from which to sample—but I was unaware of any actual field research done with this population. So, fueled by that question, I decided to explore the topic. The results of this inquiry appear below.

 

Related articles:

Ice Climbing Anchor Strength

Protecting The Ice We Climb

 


The Monster at Lake Champlain

Kevin Mahoney on " The Lake Champlain Monster".

Kevin Mahoney on ” The Lake Champlain Monster”. Alden Pellett keeping one eye on Kevin and the other for the Lake Monster.

Kevin Mahoney and Alden Pellett having fun escaping from “The Monster” during a midday break from their gear demo responsibilities at The 19 annual Adirondack Mountainfest.

*Photos by Doug Millen

Kevin Mahoney – Mahoney Alpine Adventures
The Mountaineer – Keene Valley NY


Back to Business, Round Two!

Adam-Bidwell on Cocaine, Frankenstein Cliff NH - Photo by Ryan-Driscall

Well things are shaping up, again. It has been two weeks since the major melt down and the ice climbs are forming and there is plenty of great climbing.  We now have more ice to climb than before the meltdown. There is plenty of ground water flowing and things are growing fast. With no warm weather in sight, I expect good to excellent conditions from Maine to the Adirondacks and South for the foreseeable future.

This weather is greatly appreciated as we enter the Ice Festival season. Every year it’s a crap shoot with the weather and we are lucky this year, so far. By next weekend there should be plenty of ice for the the 19th annual Adirondack International Mountainfest. January 16, 17 and 18, 2015.

So dress warm, get out, and get some!

 

Doug Millen

Adam Bidwell on Cocaine, Frankenstein Cliff, Crawford Notch NH
Photo by Ryan Driscoll

Frankenstein Cliff NH

You know things are good when the south face of Frankenstein Cliff has ice to climb. Below are a few photos from Adam Bidwell with Ryan Driscoll

Ryan-Driscall---Adam-Bidwell-climbing-Cocaine-Cover-Web2

Adam Bidwell climbing Cocaine

Adam---Ryan-Driscall-climbing-Cocaine2

Ryan Driscoll halfway up Cocaine

Bragg-Pheasant-Adam-Bidwell-2

Second pitch of Bragg-Pheasant. The strongest sun of the day bore down just as I was reaching the thinnest ice.

Bragg-Pheasant-top-Adam-Bidwell-2

Ryan Driscoll on the Final boney pitch of Bragg Pheasant


Beware of  the cold temps

When it’s this cold after a warm up, watch out for ice dams. Both on the climbs and in rivers and streams. Below are two posts that will make you think.

NEice.com – Hydrophobia at “The Lake”

An Ice Dam busting loose at Lake Willoughby Vt in 2010 – Photo by Dave Powers

Careful of that stream crossing!


Assessing Ice Conditions

glace-etude-resistance-13And don’t forget that drastic cooling followed by a period of intense cold leads to strong thermal contractions in the ice. See this great information for assessing ice conditions from Petzl – Waterfall Ice Study


Ice Guide Training

The American Mountain Guides Association Ice guide training course in NH is in full swing. The EMS guides are sending the steep ice routes at Frankenstein which are in good condition and building fast with this cold weather. – Art Mooney
Chia Direct 1-7-15 Art Mooney

Chia Direct

Chia 1-7-15 Art Mooney

Chia

Hobit 1-7-15 Art Monney

The Hobbit


Mount Washington

Conditions Update 1-8-15

by Rich Palatino, Harvard Cabin Caretaker

The Tuckerman Ravine Trail is nearly completely covered. While it is very hard-packed and slick there is very little water ice to speak of. Light Traction is nice, but not necessary in the least. That being said, full crampons on the trail wouldn’t be unreasonable, just not advised…or enjoyable.

The fire road is still in rather early season condition. However, it is mostly snow until you are above the Dow Rescue Cache where you will find a series of stream crossings. Again, nothing major. Access to the ravine is quick and easy and the rangers have been using snow machines to travel most of the road.

It’s goes without saying, the ice is IN! The Ravine is still filling in for the season. Run-outs are far from being fully-developed and in many cases descending will mean a walk down the Lion Head Summer Trail. The Fan is sporting a variety of snow conditions as you travel from gully to gully. Overall you can expect excellent condition for cramponing. However, along with long sliding falls, spatial variability can present a problem. Don’t travel with a persistent green light in mind even though things seem locked up solid. We’ve been getting nickled and dimed for weeks so you should be on the look-out for protected lee areas, wind slabs of varying strengths, buried weak layers, and I personally have been starting to worry about persistent weak layers. I’m really not sure how valid my concern for persistent layers is, but as a skier I’m suspect of the rapid heating and cooling we’ve seen over the last few weeks. I’m keeping that in mind as I travel in avalanche terrain until we see the next major storm/avalanche cycle. But, you really don’t have to take my word for it. Luckily you can hear what the experts have to say via the Mount Washington Avalanche Center’s website and it’s many social media outlets.


Before the Thaw

By Matt Ritter

matt1

P2-4 of Cannonade Direct (red) Cannonade Direct Direct (yellow)

From the exposed ledges of the Whitney Gilman Ridge it would call to me. I’d snap seemingly random photographs and stare distractedly. I’d remind myself that as a guide I should remain focused. The giant corner system above the Cannonade Buttress is exposed and looms over the talus like an inverted cargo train. The steep face below is split by a series of cracks and seams that I visually kept following back to the base of this massive corner. In the winter, I’d rack up and wonder about the imposing prow which starts as a large corner, briefly evaporates mid cliff, and reasserts itself in steep prominence like a wave threatening to break on the talus beach.

Despite having made five attempts on this route with various partners, I knew that I could put it to rest this time. The source of this confidence being an extra five feet of ice not present during my last lean condition attempt. This ice made me think I wouldn’t need to place gear in the seemingly unprotectable terrain above my highpoint.

I have climbed on this route with some of the greatest members of our climbing community. Today was no exception, Jim Shimberg owner of Rhino Guides kept telling me I was “grilled” as we made upward progression. The icy cracks of the first pitch felt heavenly and went quickly. Snow conditions were perfect which made the technical pitch two traverse a sidewalk.

In what felt like the boldest moment of my career, I forged upward. Now, too far above my gear to not hurt myself, perched on an overhanging arete above the talus, on a pitch I’ve lusted over for three seasons.
matt2

Pitch One

Pitch three is where the business begins. Off the piton anchor, I clip a nest of gear and situate myself at the first crux where a splendid vertical slab becomes slightly overhanging. With both tools over my shoulder, I side pull crimp an edge, step my front points high onto nothing, and at full extension I virtually kiss my ice tool ‘goodbye’ to wrangle a solid matchable edge. Committed, a fall from here would land me below the belayer in a big swinging arc. Better not to fall. A couple solid tool placements and strenuous lock offs allows me to clip a great piton and bust some layback moves on a flake to gain a rest beneath a small roof.

matt3

Pitch Three

Reaching out over my left shoulder, I pull through the roof and high step into the next crux which feels like muckling a greased refrigerator with an iced up rattly hand crack on the left and an equally slick rattly finger crack on the right. Surmounting this block feels monumental.  After some steep cranking, I gain a good stemming rest and a short flaring corner that becomes an in-cut, kinda sidepull rail with good hooks and some tiny gear. Stellar, exposed climbing gains a tiny ledge which, with a micro wire, and a tiny fixed pecker a body length beneath my feet, provided much spice to mantle. Placing a great piton awkwardly at my knees, I was just a few moves from mantling onto the icy sloping ledge above. I’ve always said I was gonna kiss this ledge when I got there. Tough to describe the exuberance I felt from finally reaching this point. The rest of the pitch isn’t easy but comparatively its a walk in the park. I knew it was in the bag.

matt4

Yikes!

 

matt5

Pitch Three During a Previous Attempt

 

Topping out Cannonade Direct. Pitch 4 is a wonderful rock finish with good gear and cracks! Photo by Steve Robitshek

Topping out Cannonade Direct. Pitch 4 is a wonderful rock finish with good gear and cracks! Photo by Steve Robitshek

Michael Wejchert, and I met at Cannon Cliff the next day. I wanted to climb a variation to Cannonade Direct that would allow me to climb the entirety of the monstrous upper corner. Being a little sore from the previous three days of strenuous climbing, I slurped multiple infusions of Mate and blasted Rage Against the Machine. Another warm day. At the base of Cannonade Direct I racked up. Having climbed this amazing pitch five times, I have it rather dialed. I torqued iced up cracks, stemmed familiarly, and sloppily sped up the 65 meter pitch. Now for the variation! I situated myself under the first crux and placed a couple bomber knifeblades.  A right arching seam catered minuscule technical edges and tenuous high steps. The rock is bomber but I enjoyed a handful of whippers due to exploding micro flakes. Making these technical face moves earned me some awe-inspiring hooks and the most elegant horizontal finger crack which welcomed the necessary gear and an adequate rest before the next crux of gaining the ice.

I tapped my battered picks into the snowy little ledge. The ¼ inch space between ice and granite dispelled any myth of security. Wet snow pressed heavily on this precarious substrate. The rock beneath my ice tools was overhanging. I hoisted my front points up to my elbows placing them on perfect ⅜ inch edges. Finally some large footholds!! Here, with my ass in space and my ice tool moving to more secure rotten worthless ice, the ledge and ice curtain detach indifferently. Taking a big clean fall onto a bomber Lost Arrow I come tight on the rope before reaching terminal velocity. My head was down and I could see Michael looking at me as generously plump chunks of aerated ice pummeled me. Without lifting my head, Michael and I made eye contact. “I guess you’ll have to wait for a colder day.” Michael is smarter than I am. “I’m making it to that belay. I think it just got easier.”

Michael initiating the techy crux

Michael initiating the techy crux

I know I’ve got one shot. The holidays are upon us. The rain is upon us. My early season project’s ice will not form again. I lower to the ledge and fire the crux, pull gingerly onto the steep ice and build a belay at the base of the mythical corner.

P3 Cannonade Direct. Cannonade Direct Direct climbs into the base of the big brown corner via the ice smear to my right. Photo by Bayard Russell

P3 Cannonade Direct. Cannonade Direct Direct climbs into the base of the big brown corner via the ice smear to my right. Photo by Bayard Russell

Everything had felt pretty safe up to this point. Despite the repeated whips and long fall followed by a heat seeking deluge of frozen water missiles, I was climbing very well and felt invincible. Obviously mixed climbing is dangerous. Nothing about climbing Mean Streak, Prozac, or Daedalus is “safe.” In fact these climbs provide one with many opportunities to get hurt. I firmly believe that in these situations our safety hinges upon our mental state. There will always be objective hazard, but when I’m climbing well, I’m not climbing scared. Surviving one of these climbs by the skin of my teeth does not seem sustainable. No route is worth a broken ankle, face, or spinal cord. With that in mind, I pulled off the ledge and soon found myself with a couple cams a few feet beneath my boots. Cannon does in fact have pockets of very steep terrain. Trust me. I look for it. I was getting pumped and I almost bailed. Casually, I told Michael I might fall as I began to ponder my exit strategy. He didn’t argue but we both knew this wasnt gonna be pretty. Looking down, I saw a small edge. Still in control, I reminded myself that someday I wanted to be a bold climber. I looked up. In what felt like the boldest moment of my career, I forged upward. Now, too far above my gear to not hurt myself, perched on an overhanging arete above the talus, on a pitch I’ve lusted over for 3 seasons. I made one more move to a solid hook and a serendipitous cam placement. The climbing eased up slightly as steep snow filled cracks and an arete composed of gravity defying loose nonsense made me feel at home. Or was it that I wished I was at home? Either way, leaving my last gear behind and pulling around the corner onto featureless slabs covered in ½ inch snice kept my attention for the last 40 feet to the trees. Seriously, do not blow it here…

Cannonade Direct (red) and second to last pitch of Cannonade Direct Direct (yellow) in much leaner conditions.

Cannonade Direct (red) and second to last pitch of Cannonade Direct Direct (yellow) in much leaner conditions.

 

(Click on images to enlarge)

More on Matt

A Dose of Prozac and Some Positive Thinking

Matt Ritter Joins the MWV Ice Fest Team


Poke-O Access

Please respect the owners property rights and don’t trespass. Use the standard trails from the campground to access the cliff. Please see the information below and tell all your climbing friends. Thank You! – Doug Millen

Poko-Featured-Photo

Positive Thinking – Poke-O-Moonshine NY

 

Climbers should be aware that the land in front of the Main Face at Poke-O is private. Climbers need to use the main trail that runs from the [now closed] campground to the Main Face near Discord. Under no circumstances should climbers approach directly from the road. Of course it’s totally fine to scope out your routes from the shoulder of the road.

There have been several incidents where ice climbers have inadvertently wandered into the private property in front of the cliff. The local land owners have no tolerance for this and will close access should climbers continue to trespass. The Access Fund, with funds raised by The Mountaineer, have added signs to help delineate the boundaries and instruct climbers to stay on the cliff-base trail. Please be extra vigilant and stay on the trail that runs along the base of the cliff. -Jim Lawyer

Poko-Map

Poke-O-Moonshine NY