Kancamagus Dream’n

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On the Drool of the Beast & Sheer Elegance

Footloose and crowd-free on two New Hampshire classics

Mt. Kancamagus (L) & Osceola’s East Peak flank the Mad River Notch, the home of On The Drool of the Beast.

It was Icefest week end here in New Hampshire. Many people shy away from areas during these times, thinking every piece of frozen water will be wedged with humans…. If one knows where and when to climb, this is not the case.

The Kancamagus is an east-west highway. It slithers like a snake through the White Mountains and gives access to many popular climbs.  The most sought after is Way in the Wilderness on The Painted Walls. And right next door is The Rainbow Slabs. On the other side of the road, in a slice on the side of Mt. Chocorua flows the heavily hit Champney Falls. These are the places that will surly be busy. But there are other climbs that will not be

On the Drool of the Beast  II 5

For a backcountry area, the ice in Mad River Notch and the amazing line of The Drool are quite easy to get too. One just has to commit to an easy 2.3 mile walk and a wee ‘lil bushwhack. I have done the route three times with the first being in’93 and had sung of it’s aesthetic beauty to many friends over the years. The Drool is one of those routes that lives on the peripheral of thought for most. Lurking with its back to the road.  Not visible without hiking in, with the more noticeable ice almost always taking precedence over it. But I had one friend that wanted it bad and was willing to take the chance on it being climbable even on a short day. If it was not in,  little time would be left for something else.

I met Emilie Drinkwater in the Greeley Pond parking lot and though the trail was packed, we decide to ski in. We had two different reasons for this. My reasons, not being a very good skier, the approach and descent would be just as exciting as the climbing. Emilie wanted too because she claims to hate walking and getting out would be quite fast. I also think she knew with my skiing skills, I would provide some good entertainment. And I’m pretty sure I came through on that.

We stop at the spot where one can get an obstructed view of the climb. Emilie had been wanting to do this route for years and had the same reaction I had with my first sight of its line. “WOW!” then,  “That is only one pitch?”  The route looked pretty good, with the exception of one section down low that we could not see. Once up close it all was there, however it was thin.

The beautiful ribbon of The Drool and a lean version of Aye Karumba! (R)  photo-Emilie Drinkwater

Emilie was her usual, humble self and while racking up, made some silly comment about if she did not make it I could finish it.  I said sure and reminded her of the schooling she doled out with the Rollies at Sozt’s during Mountain Fest.  After the first few pieces of rock gear were placed at the start, the rest went like clock work for her, what a surprise.

Emilie working the thin start

The Drool has everything a climber could wish for. Its location and the impeccable nature of the climb suffer few rivals. Good rock & ice gear, stemming, chimney moves, corkscrew weirdness and pure straight on ice for the finish.  All in a remote mountain setting with spectacular views across the Greeley Ponds to the layers of mountains stretching out to the southeast.

In no time at all Emilie had topped out and I was climbing.  The typical thought “I’m glad I’m seconding”  entered my mind right from the start and stayed with me through the steeper than it looked from below finish.  Once back on the skis, the  trip out was fast, with minimum damage to my coccyx.  Along the Kancamagus we stopped near the pass for a look back west  to Mt. Huntington. Ted Hammond had mentioned Sheer Elegance, the stand out route on it’s huge southeast face was looking good. And it did indeed.

Sheer Elegance II 4+ 5.6

Anyone driving on the highway has seen it. As one drops over Kancamagus Pass towards Lincoln, Mt. Huntington tries to block your passage.  Its bulky southwestern shoulder with its massive wall will fill your vision.  In the winter an amber like sheet of ice trailing off to a slender ribbon, cascades down the chocolate coloured slab. Always tempting, always dismissed…. except by a few.

Mt. Huntington and the line of Sheer Elegance

 

Sheer Elegance (center) and other beautiful climbs to the left.

A few years ago a good trail was established by Chuck Woodman and others while putting up some of the rock routes on this complex cliff system.  This trail, if one knows where to find the start offers an very cool, easy way to the cliff.  Ted Hammond and Mark Casale packed it out going into the routes on the left end of the cliff. And while doing so got a first hand look at the start of SE.  The report was a big grin.

A view of the route from the approch

The day dawned clear and cold but the sun could compromise the ice if one gets too late a start. A semi late night after the dry tooling comp did not put much of a damper on our departure time. Freddie Bieber , Ted, Mark and I were at the cliff  with Fred racked and rolling by 9.

Freddie engaging the elegance

When Fred got to the start of the crux the scale of the steep section really showed.  And though he had not been on any steep ice this year, Freddie cranked out an excellent lead.  After the crux the ice kicks back for a bit to a snow & ice ramp that leads right. After that a huge sheet of soft, amber leads to the trees.

Ted Hammond coming up the finishing section

The day was absolutely  brilliant. Good friends sharing an amazing route none of us had done, totally alone.  And that is a rare gift. The rating is a bit old school and I’m not looking to change it.  However I found the crux to be similar to that of Repentence when it is in good.  Narrow, barndoor-ish and in the grill a little longer, but then easier.  We did the route in one long pitch with double 70’s.

Sheer Elegance and On the Drool of the Beast are beautiful gems.  These lines are total classic’s and I feel very lucky to have done them this year. Both routes require cold and cloudy weather to form. Keep the eyes open, Sheer is right in plain view. If it looks good from the road go for it! As for the Drool…. take a chance and a walk, if it’s in your be smiln’, I guarantee it.

Good job to Emilie & Freddie for their nice leads and for dragging my butt up two great routes.

~Alan Cattabriga

 

 

 

Ego Checks

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by Patrick Cooke

Standing at the first belay, I’m staring up at the crux of the route right off the deck.  Protection will be questionable.  I’m sure I’m strong enough to pull the moves, but is it worth the risk?  I’ve got time to decide – I can always wait until Matt’s up the first pitch before committing one way or the other.

I’m up and down on the column of ice below the small roof of ice above like a slow-motion sewing-machine needle.  Each time I suss out some of the moves and try to figure out how I can protect this section.  There’s a pin on the right, but it’s questionable at best.  I get in a 16 but neither this nor the pin will keep me off the deck if I blow the moves.  I think I might get in a 10 a little bit higher, but getting into a position to do this would mean committing to making the moves through the roof.

I’ve climbed this route a thousand times in my mind.  It sees multiple ascents each day, often in conditions far more difficult than those I’m looking at.   It’s been on my tick list for several years now, and though it may not be unfinished business at this point, the way it has captured my imagination is something right out of Inception.  I’ve seen every photo of it on the photopost.  I’ve even searched photos of it with various misspellings.  I can’t get this route out of my head.

The ice is hard and brittle.  The overnight lows were somewhere around -10.  The outer bit of the column is hollow, and the inner section is solid feeling, but candled.  Just below the roof is a section of the most hacked up, thin, and seemingly nasty looking ice I’ve seen all season.  Swinging into it seems like a bad idea.  Will hooking it rip it right off of the rock behind it?  It’s obviously been getting climbed, all I have to do is focus and move upward.

Some days the route just isn’t ready for you.  But in this case I’d be lying if I made this claim.  Self-doubt and fear erased any confidence I had in myself and my abilities.  Others have climbed the route in far more difficult conditions.  Hell, earlier this season I had made harder moves on far more dangerous terrain.  Regardless, I wasn’t ready that day and we quietly rapped down to the ground.

*****

Some days, in a fit of delusion, I actually convince myself that I’m a hardman.  Or at least, I think I want to be?  Do I? $#!&, what the #$@% am I thinking? Sobering up from my fantastical delusions, I’m pretty sure that a: I’m not a hardman, and b: I’m not really sure I want to be one.  Sure, it would be awesome to solo WI6 and figure-4 my way across magazine covers, but am I really cut out for it?

In fact, it seems that I have an internal battle going on each and every day within my own mind.  In one corner we have my ego  – inflated with an unwarranted and largely unearned sense of of talent and self-worth. Repentence?  Should be a breeze.  MindBender? I’ll hike it, no problem.  Run-out trad M8? A figure 4 here, a stein-pull there…  You get the point.  Mid-week, comfortably within the confines of my home, there’s nothing I can’t climb.

Yeah, I could be this guy, but not this day... that's my set of ropes on the right!

Yeah, I could be this guy, but not this day… that’s my set of ropes on the right!

In the other corner is my sense of humility.  The part of me that thinks “it doesn’t matter what grade I climb” as long as I’m out swinging the tools.  This is the part of me that would think a romp up Mt. Webster, or linking pitches in Stony Clove is a hell of a way to spend an afternoon. We can call this my inner-everyman.  Although my inner-everyman lacks the sense of adventure and the potential for glamour that could accompany the inner-hardman, it is the safer avenue: There are no crushing defeats, no scary run-outs, and no moments of sheer terror.

More comfortable terrain - Odell's Gully

More comfortable terrain – Odell’s Gully

So much of my identity as a climber, and indeed my identity in its own right is tied up in the dichotomy between my my ego and my sense of humility.  Sure, grades don’t matter, but there’s a sense of accomplishment and euphoria that accompanies climbing something hard.  When I look at some of my best days climbing, it’s the days in which I pushed myself harder than I thought I could that stand out above most of the others.  Climbing a hard route in good style perhaps panders a bit to my own inner elitism, but damn is it satisfying.  The danger in this, of course, is the crushing return to reality when the desired result doesn’t happen.

*****

I’m back for another run at the route.  We get an early start to beat the crowds that will be out and about on IceFest weekend.  Of course, there’s someone there already as we arrive.  Rather than wait, we jump on another route nearby.  It’s sufficiently hard (in fact, it’s probably even harder), and this time the sense of daring wins out over the fear.  Although we don’t finish the route, the two pitches we do climb are stellar and involve some good, committing moves.  We turn around and retreat when the third pitch is a raging waterfall, and I’ll keep telling myself that this is a justifiable reason for doing so.  Of course now I have two routes to finish…

Equilibrium? Leading pitch 2 of 20 Below Zero Gully

Equilibrium? Leading pitch 2 of 20 Below Zero Gully

Media Partnership with the American Alpine Club

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NEice is proud to announce that it has become a Media Partner of the American Alpine Club (AAC).  As a Media Partner, NEice will provide exposure for the AAC among the northeast’s dedicated and zealous population of ice climbers.  NEice sees thousands of visitors each month during the ice climbing season.  As such, it is the #1 site for information on ice climbing in New England and the Northeast.  With its active community of members, NEice will undoubtedly be a valuable partner for the AAC in promoting its overall mission and the efforts of its local chapter: American Alpine Club – Northeast Region.

This partnership will also help increase NEice’s exposure beyond the Northeast: Being a Media Partner means that NEice will receive press on the AAC’s website, E-news, and even some printed material. The AAC has played an integral role in promoting the sport of climbing across the nation since 1902, while also working tirelessly on access and conservation efforts.  NEice is excited to contribute to the AAC’s continuing mission of providing “knowledge and inspiration, conservation and advocacy, and logistical support for the climbing community.”

“The American Alpine Club is committed to supporting and inspiring climbers from their first days on the rock through a lifetime of climbing. The work we do has the endorsement of numerous industry media leaders. Our Media Partners—magazines, websites, photographers, artists—provide essential in-kind support to improve and spread the AAC’s message.”

 

Comp WINNERS! Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest 2012

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WINNERS of the Drytooling Comp

Friday Night at the Cranmore Climbing Wall, North Conway NH

Kevin Mahoney climbed strong to win the Men’s division

Kevin Mahoney climbing to win! the MWV Ice Fest Comp

Kevin Mahoney about to enter the first crux of the climb – Photos by Doug Millen

 Click photos to enlarge

Janet Bergman makes it to the last obsticle to win the Women’s division

Janet Bergman on the last obstacle

Janet Bergman on the last obstacle to win – Photos by Doug Millen

Janet BergmanJanet Bergman
Comp Results

Men’s

1st – Kevin Mahoney

2nd – Bayard Russell

3rd – Ivan Tighe

Women’s 

1st – Janet Bergman

2nd – Andrea Charest

3rd – Lindsay Fixmer

Many thanks to Cranmore for hosting the climbing event and to IME and IMCS for making it all happen, and to the sponsors…Thank you!

Ice Fest Blog

Road Warrior – The Back Story

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Josh shaking out and thinking about the next move. Pitch 3 of “Road Warriors” – Photo by Ryan Brooks

I had been eying the route since before the rockfall and I know that John Sykes gave it a good attempt in the huge year when the upper smear came all the way down over the bottom roof. A stunningly beautiful ribbon! I was not good enough to get on it;  after hearing that Sykes backed off, I knew that I wanted nothing to do with it and that I had no business going near it. Time passes and big chunks of rock fall. After the rockfall Joel Torretti pointed the line out and we wallowed to the base after a 3′ dump of snow. We took a look and made the usual chicken shit excuses of why we should go climb something else that wouldn’t scare us. I put the line into the files and spent the interim years getting better for it. I’d lie if I said that I didn’t look at the line every time I drove down the hill upon arriving at the south end of the lake.

This winter, on my first day out with Ryan Brooks, we climbed a couple of routes and then walked over to the base. I had too many projects for this winter already and another was the last thing on my mind, but something clicked. I got psyched. Getting psyched on a line is rare for me these days because life is so busy. We made plans on the spot to come back in a few days.

I’ve been given a lot of shit for rappelling in to clean and equip routes. To each his own, and in my opinion the end product is always a better, more thought-out line with the natural features maximized.

Day one saw us parking at the trailhead for Mt. Pisgah with the kit. After a few rappels down the wrong spot we found the top of the route. Down we went. We figured that we could climb up to the top of the big corner ground-up style so we focused on what would be the third pitch. After looking at blankinsh rock for a couple of hours, debating the use of bolts and if the line was worth it, we jugged back to the top to continue our discussion. Down again, this time with the kit. We placed and anchor and it got dark.

Day two saw us monkeying around all day on the third pitch. Down aiding, cleaning, jugging, trying moves, and finding hooks. That morning, working off a 9.2 rope (not advised), I quickly put a core shot in the exact middle while hanging in space over the big roof. A scary 15′ jug got me past the core shot and Ryan and I found ourselves clipped into 3 ropes at all times while working. It’s a tangled web we weave. That night Ryan found a core shot in his fat rope as well. We rapped the route in the dark to get a look at the big corner and fix a rope over it for future use if needed. Two guys, two days, and the third pitch was done- we thought.

Day 3. We would go ground-up. Ryan starts up the ice and at the top of the short pillar.  A rattly tool in detached ice pops, sending him toward the abyss below, only to be saved from a certain maiming by a stubby after only a body length of flight. Dramatic prose to capture a dramatic start to the day. Ryan gets back up and gets more gear in higher. The ice over the roof is thin with no good gear in sight, mostly because I only brought 4 screws for the day. Ryan down climbs and extinguishes all other options of ascent in a 50 meter vicinity. Chicken Little is up next and I get to the top of the pillar and decide that a fall pulling the roof would result in broken legs, so after another hour of debate a bolt goes in. Somehow it is dark again so we stash our bags and prepare for the send the next day.

Day 4. I ran my mouth the day before saying that I’d lead the first pitch. I have more ice screws and an El Cap rock rack. I quickly find myself at the top of the mini-pillar with the bolt clipped. Thin ice above is not welcoming but is sticky and, without realizing it, I’m perched above the roof banging in a Spectre. After equalizing a couple of stubbies I commit to an awkward mantle to a good stance. A 20′ foot traverse will take me to the corner and hopefully gear. “I’m not moving until I can protect my second”‘ I pontificate (read: I’m scared shitless that if I slip it’s paraplegic basketball for me). A couple of A3 pins and I do the shuffle to the corner, good gear, and eventually the anchor at the base of the big corner. Ryan cruses up and starts up the big corner. He is slowed down quickly by loose rock and funky gear. Side-note: Ryan is one of those weird individuals who really enjoys aid climbing and has a super solid head. While equipping routes I view Ryan as the devil on my shoulder, yelling at me not to be a sissy and space the bolts out a little more. I take note of Ryan’s slowed progress and coax him higher to avoid placing myself in the underwear soiling position that he is in. We had set one hour time limits on leading so as not to freeze the belayer too much and to spur the leader into action. Time has always been my enemy.

My turn: the onsight is blown I rationalize as I jug our fixed rope from the week before. I spend my time cleaning and adding one bolt. I lower and hand the reins to Ryan who walks the pitch. From the top of the pedestal the third pitch falls away over the lake. It’s getting dark so I attack. Hooking, feet skating off the small holds, only looking ahead to the next gear placement so as not to realize how scared I really am. I get to the overlap mid-pitch and a good rest. One more thin crux and then the ice. I ease up on the one tooth hooks only to find that a film of verglas has formed on two key edges. Shit. Up and down, up and down. I try everything and after half an hour I am completely flamed so I grab a draw and clean off the holds. I lower to the no hands stance and fire the crux onto the ice.

Had I mentioned the wind? As I climbed the ice I would get tossed back and forth by gusts. Tools would hit rock every other swing and I soon stood 15’ above my last bolt, tools staggered, pumped out of my mind, trying to place a stubby when I get hit by a 40mph gust. In a split second I’m falling and manage to catch my lower tool with my upper hand as I pass it. I swallow my puke and regain my stance. I clip a draw to my upper tool and reset my now wobbly lower tool. Adrenaline gets two bottomed out stubbies in and I try to continue up to a rock gear placement. No luck on the rock gear. My brain is fried and so are my arms. I end up down climbing instead of lowering off the stubbies and I bolt and clean the pitch. We’ll have to come back. We rap off the tree anchor at the top of the corner only to get our ropes stuck in the dark. We say screw-it and leave them, rapping off our third line that had been fixed.

Day 5. Another day is spent retrieving our ropes and gear. In usual fashion, the ropes had gotten stuck at the very base of the cliff, giving Ryan a great workout rapping and jugging to free them while I nap in the cold sun.

A week passes and Ryan gets the flu. I feel the need to add a couple bolts to make the route safer, and after talking with friends I feel that the bolts are justified and that I’m not a complete wimp. I get a burr in my ass and after work one morning I hop in the car and make the rally drive to the Lake. Six hours later I’m at the trailhead and by dusk I’m rapping in. By nine pm I’m at my car again and by 3 am I pull into my driveway. Back to work by 7:30 am the next day.

Day 6. Perfect weather: Mid twenties and overcast. Pitch after pitch pass and we soon find ourselves at the top of the cliff where it all began, nothing but smiles. We’re both stoked but sad that it’s over. I rarely remember routes but instead remember what went into them. For me, it’s the laughing, the moments of terror and the shenanigans that form memories and rarely the climbing. I feel very fortunate to have the friends that I do, as well as Lake Willoughby, in my life.

– Josh Hurst

Details on the climb Road Warrior FA, Lake Willoughby, VT

Road Warrior – M8

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Lake Willoughby, VT

FA: 01-25-12  Ryan Brooks and Josh Hurst

 “Road Warrior is hands down the best mixed route I’ve been on at Lake Willoughby” – Josh

Rack: Standard rock rack including two #3 Camalots and three ½” cams, no pins, 5 screws: including 2x 10cm and 3x 13 cm.

The Route ascends a large corner 200 meters to the north of Twenty Below Zero Gully.

P1: NEI 4 50m Climb the left most ice flow, pull the overlap onto thin ice and a good stance. Foot traverse left and up easy mixed to the base of the big corner.

P2: M6 25m Up the big corner. Do not rap off the tree, your ropes will get stuck.

P3: M8 35m Traverse up and right following flakes to the ice. When the ice ends at the big roof, traverse right around the roof to a belay back left. If the ice smear extends to the overlap midpitch, the second crux can be avoided, lowering the grade half a notch.

P4: NEI 4- 20m Climb thickening ice to the trees.

Descent: Walk off or rap the route from anchors at the top of P3 and P1.

[slideshow id=23]

Josh’s notes:

Road Warrior is hands down the best mixed route I’ve been on at Lake Willoughby. It’s a modern mixed route with a very traditional feel requiring a full rack. The name comes from the absurd amount of driving it took to complete this route, 50+ hours over 6 days, and the apocalyptic setting at the base of the large rock fall. (Who doesn’t have a crush on Mel Gibson anyway?) It should be noted that the route is clean and is on some of the best rock at Willoughby. The route forms every year, this year being the smallest I’ve seen it.

The Back Story by Josh Hurst

Source: Josh Hurst

Note: This pair also put up “TINY DANCER” at The Lake last year.

 

Smuggs Ice Bash 2012 – Drytooling Comp WINNERS!

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WINNERS of the Drytooling Comp

Friday night at Petra Cliffs, Burlington VT!

Jake List of Hinesburg Vermont takes 1st in the Men’s division

Jake clipping to win the 2012 Mens drytooling comp

Jake clipping to win the 2012 Mens drytooling comp during the Smuggs Ice Bash held at Petra Cliffs, Burlington VT – Photo by Doug Millen

Jake List – Climbing to Win! (slide show)

Andrea Charest takes 1st in the Women’s division

Andrea Charest stretching for the log

Andrea Charest stretching for the log, to go on and win the women’s division – Photo by Doug Millen

 Click photos to enlarge

Results

Men’s

1st – Jake List

2nd – Ivan Tish

3rd – Kevin Ryan

Women’s

1st – Andrea Charest

2nd – Janet Bergman

3rd – Melisa McNeill

Many thanks to Petra Cliffs for hosting the dry tooling comp, Bert Severin of  Sunrise Adventure Sports  for putting this event together and climberism.com for the great food and beer at the comp. Sterling Rope & La Sportiva put up the prize money of $250 for the men’s and women’s winners of the indoor drytooling comp.

More on this event coming soon…….

www.smuggsicebash.com

Report and photos by Doug Millen

 

 

Seams Thin

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New mixed climb at Trollville

“Seams Thin” – M6

Location: Trollville (Duck’s Head), Jackson NH

FA: Peter Doucette & Erik Eisele

Date: January 2012

Seams Thin

Gear: No bolts but five pins. And the rack is pretty specific — doubles on small cams, offset nuts and a number four Camalot.

Descent: Rappel the route.

“Kind of a sad season thus far, but we’re making things happen” – Erik

 

Photos by Erik Eisele  –  Peter Doucette climbing.

Source: Erik Eisele, Facebook, Mountain Sense Guides

 

Harvard Cabin Report – 01.17.12

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Greetings Climbers and Mountaineers,

Happy New Year! It’s been a while since I’ve been able to get my hands on the keyboard for any length of time. Holiday week was quieter then anticipated, New Years Eve was rocking, and the first week of 2012 was unexpectedly jam packed – inside and out – despite the persistent talus!

Snow, Snow, Snow – Finally!!!

So far this season, an extra value point should be added to commitment ratings attached to climbable ice routes in New England! Thankfully, (hopefully) getting to the cabin and into Huntington Ravine will be a wee bit easier after our first major winter storm system of the season is done gifting us with much needed snow! It’s been dumping all day…..it would seem that winter has FINALLY arrived! Here in the White Mountains anyway. As with most of the country, I’m sure you are still dealing with persistent warm temps and rain! It seems you now have an opportunity to escape to a bit of winter! Come on up!

As much fun as it was skiing the 6+ inches of low-density, super dry, east coast POW, as I headed down the Sherburne Ski Trail this afternoon, this storm is going to be hard-pressed to provide the snow-totals we could really use. The water-bars on the Sherb are far from full. However, I’m not complaining, it now looks and feels like winter! The turns were soft and velvety and, for now, the trails are pleasantly skinnable. It was surely dumping on the Rock Pile today. Arriving at Pinkham, I was even tempted to throw down some dinero for some lift service this afternoon but was curtailed by “early season” hours of operations at the local ski hill. Oh well, it can only get better from here on out! Keep your fingers crossed!

Reminders and Close Calls

Even before the new snow fell, the extended early season had yielded a few turns here and there. I’ve had a couple of great days skiing in Tuckerman Ravine. Of course, it’s quality over quantity. From lower angle aspects in the bowl to top-bottom runs in Left Gully, powder stashes to frozen debris, it’s all been there. In all honesty, however, there  haven’t been many skiers on the mountain so far this season and for good reason. Mainly, the approach and egress. Furthermore, snow pack conditions have been variable and testy, even before 5-Scale Forecasting began for the season. If you haven’t already, you can read about a few significant early season incidents that have occurred over the last couple of weeks. Definitely worth the read and to serve as a reminder of the dangers that exist in the playground we all know and love! Click Here to read the summaries for incidents so far this season. If we take time now to prepare ourselves mentally, perhaps we can prevent the need for further entries this season.

5 Scale Avalanche Danger Rating in Effect

Speaking of which, if you haven’t heard, the 5-Scale avalanche rating system was implemented for the season on January 5th, 2012. It was a long time coming, but conditions finally warranted to move from General Advisory. We can now expected daily updates on Avalanche Conditions in Tuckerman and Huntington Ravine along with a the other normally forecast areas like Hillman’s Highway and the lower snow fields. But, you already knew this because you visit http://www.MountwashingtonAvalancheCenter.org everyday or are otherwise informed through the variety of Social Media Outlets that the center uses to get the word out! There is no excuse not to know before you go. If you are unfamilar with the system, you can learn more by Clicking Here. and, if crossing paths, be sure to thank the hard-working and super dedicated Snow Rangers we are fortunate to have here in New Hampshire!

Harvard Cabin Trail Sign

Finally, a much needed and very much appreciated sign pointing mountain travelers towards Harvard Cabin, as been posted at the intersection of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail and the Fire Road. Since I’ve been caretaker, and certainly with the delayed opening of the Lion Head Winter Route, many guests have arrived at the cabin via an unintended visit to Hermit Lake. Always a thrill for the Tux Caretaker, especially around midnight on a Friday night. It may be the smallest sign in the White Mountain National Forest, but it sure is appreciated! As I’ve been told all of my life, “Good things come in small packages!”. Once again, Thanks to the Forest Service Snow Rangers for making this happen! I should mention, that until the thick of winter, taking the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to the Fireroad is the preferred and most efficient approach to the cabin. Even with a full winter snowpack, the well-travelled Tuckerman Ravine Trail is the fast and easiest means to getting to and from the cabin, especially at night.

Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest – Febuary 3-5, 2012

As the weekend approaches, details of the Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest 2012 are emerging daily! New guest guides are being announced, more sponsors, and promotions, oh and don’t forget, Harvard Mountaineering Club will be part of the fun this year! So, get signed up for your clinics and get ready to have a blast picking your way trough the valley!!! It is w-IN-ter!

Weekend Update – Winter is here!

Well, it’s about time for me to head back up-hill. I’m happy to have finally had the time for another update. This weekend is looking extra-wintry. While Sunday is looking bluebird, the temps will be frigid and winds fierce and shifting. This is going to make the alpine extra challenging. Included in this challenge will be dynamic snow and avalanche conditions. You should look forward to tomorrows Weekend Update from the Mount Washington Avalanche Center, posted at http://www.mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org.

If we are forced to stay low this weekend, stay postive! The season has already been quite delayed already and, as I tell guests every week, if you are patient this mountain will reward you. This weekend maybe what the mountains needs to finally complete it’s transition to winter, making mountain travel safer and easier. Give The Rock Pile the time it needs and you are sure to enjoy a long and productive season.

Be Safe, Be Conservative, and Be at Harvard Cabin,

Rich Palatino
Harvard Cabin Caretaker
Rich@powder-hound.com

NOTE – Harvard Cabin is not affiliated with the Appalachian Mountain Club. Harvard Cabin is maintained by Harvard Mountaineering Club for use by the general public. The cabin is operated under a special-use permit granted by the USDA Forest Service. Cabin space and tent-sites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis between December 1st and April 1st each year. Specific instructions for staying at the cabin can be found online at

http://www.HarvardMountaineering.org

 

Mountainfest 2012 Wrap-up

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The Adirondack Mountainfest 2012,  Keene NY

Mountainfest 2012

Sunday, January 15

Once again, the Adirondack Mountainfest was a great combination of  people, places and the thing we love….. climbing ice.  First of all many thanks go out to the folks and the venue that make this event one that is very special. Also thanks to sponsors, guides and the folks that participate. Without you all this would not happen.

To those that do a ton of work……

Vinny McLelland and the great staff at the Mountaineer.  These folks are  knowledgeable, super friendly and know the conditions and the area like they know their products. Also a special thanks goes out to Nick Gully &  Drew Haas and to all the kids for making the raffles fun. I have to mention the example Drew gave of proper layering at Emilie’s show was nicely done.

Now to the venue,  Rock & River . Thank you to the owner Ed Palen, the staff  and a huge thanks to Jenny, Nancy & Julia.  These awesome ladies provided some of the best meals one could have ever wished for and let Doug and I share their kitchen like we were family. I almost have no words worthy enough for the venue , it’s such an amazing environment.  I will just simply say Rock & River is a beautiful place nestled in the quintessential Adirondack setting.

And lastly the slideshows. For me slideshows are almost always a exercise in staying awake for they are always too long.  However the gods must have heard my thoughts and we all were treated to three wonderful shows loaded with humor and spectacular images.

Thank you to; Zoe Hart, Bayard Russell, Matt McCormick and Emilie Drinkwater. ( that pie chart was the best! )

Images from the Cascade Pass clinics run by Don Mellor, Mark Meschinelli, Matt Horner & Matt McCormick. And the NEice soup delivery.

Word!

~ Alan

More reports on Mountainfest 2012

Day one Report

Day two Report

Look for more  soon:  “Rollies” at the Bivy and a look at the “ice rack” of Adirondack hard man, Joe Szot.