Winter Climbing 101- Cathedral Ledge 1/29/16

Today Jacob & Dominic joined us for a 101 Winter Climbing Course. Jacob is working on his NH 48 4000 footers and hopes to head out west for larger goals in the future. Dominic has a mountaineering girlfriend who has multiple trips to Rainier and is taking him to the Andes soon, so he was here to get some instruction and start building those skills!

ice climbing new hampshire
Jacob practices Self Arrest on the Cathedral Auto Road
ice climbing new hampshire
Jacob learns the difference between “French” technique and “International” technique
ice climbing new hampshire
Dominic starts climbing Grade 2 ice using a combination of techniques we have covered
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Jacob provides a solid belay
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Dominic goes over the edge on his first ever rappel

Both Jacob & Dominic were enthusiastic students and I can tell they’ll be continuing their mountain education with passion.

Tomorrow starts the 3rd AIARE Avalanche Course of the season so stand by for updates on that program and see you in the mountains!

-NEAlpineStart

 

Mt. Willard, first ice of the season…

I’m pretty sure since my first ice season in 2001 I have always climbed ice in December, and often in November. In fact my earliest season ice climb was before Halloween, 2003 I think, “The Open Book” in Tuckerman Ravine. This year was a late start, a combination of terrible early season conditions and a newborn will put a slight damper on your early season adventures. But winter is finally here and today was one of the best “first” days I can remember.

My good friend Tom was driving up from Nashua and met me at EMS NoCo. We car-pooled up to Crawford Notch and left the car at about 10:20am, right behind a party of 3. We caught and passed the party who had a similar plan, Left Hand Monkey Wrench to The Cleft. At the bottom of Hitchcock Gully we harnessed up as 2 climbers where negotiating the water ice section at the beginning of the climb. A few minutes later I caught up to the lead climber, my friend David G., who was also heading for The Cleft. We chatted a bit then forged ahead getting to the start of The Cleft just before the party of 3 arrived (having opted for the direct bushwhack approach). Since we were geared up and ready we cruised LHMW in 15 minutes or so.

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Tom gets us started on Left Hand Monkey Wrench

On the upper tier East Face Slabs Right looked great, but we decided to have a look at Upper Hitchcock. 2 climbers appeared to be rapping from the birch at the top of the first pitch so we continued over to East Face Slabs. This is one of my favorite settings in the White Mountains. Great belay ledge/view and super fun easy climbing with blue skies… I always have fun here…

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East Face Slabs, Mt. Willard- photo by Tom C.

I led the fat plastic main line and lowered off a fixed carabiner on some slings at about 95 feet, then Tom cleaned and lowered.

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Tom takes a quick TR run to clean the route

We decided to move back over to Hitchcock which was empty and finish up that. I always like checking out the parasol effected ice above this feature. Tom made quick work of the first pitch.

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Upper Hitchcock Gully
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Fat & Plastic

I finished up the short last pitch and we made for the summit.

Hyperlite Mountain Gear
Mount Willard with Mount Webster in the background- photo by Tom C.

This was the first technical climb I got to test my new Hyperlite 3400 Ice Pack.

2015_3400_ice_pack_-_white_three_qtr
Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Ice Pack- photo from http://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com

First impressions are extremely positive and I’ll be working on a detailed review for later this month.

We cruised down the Willard Trail without to much difficulty but micro-spikes would have definitely been nice in a few spots. We got back to the car in just over 3 hours.

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ViewRanger App

It felt great to be moving through steep frozen terrain again. Luckily I don’t have to wait long to get out again. Tomorrow I’m leading a Mountaineering 201 Course then Sunday it’s a Mount Washington Ascent.

Maybe I’ll see you out there,

-NEAlpineStart

Hyperlite Mountain Gear
Mount Willard with Mount Webster in the background- photo by Tom C.

 

First AIARE Course of the Season

Yesterday wrapped up our first AIARE Avalanche Course of the season. Despite winter arriving late in the North East we had enough snow to make it happen. Our new conference room at EMS North Conway worked well as a convenient & comfortable classroom location. While I’ll miss the scenic classroom of the AMC Highland Center this new centralized location has allowed us to increase the amount of time we spend in the field on the 2nd & 3rd day of the course, which went over well for both students & instructors.

AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
New Conference Room at EMS Schools North Conway
AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Previewing avalanche terrain in Crawford Notch
AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Mt. Webster Slides
AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Hermit Lake Snow Study Plot… I’ve never seen the brush here in January!
AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
New porch at HoJo’s
AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Some clearing as we enter Tuckerman Ravine
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Mike’s group making some snow pack observations
AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Mostly pencil hard wind slab with one interesting layer of buried graupel
AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Looking up at the choke point in The Chute- Theodolite App
AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Weather clears out as cold front comes in
AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Field notes

While we had to cancel our mid-December avalanche course I’m content that this “first of the season” was quite productive. The changes in our course agenda seemed to work well and I’m looking forward to our next Avy course starting on 1/15. I also finally got to test out the Patagonia SnowDrifter Pack and will be posting a detailed review of that pack next week.

Patagonia 30L SnowDrifter Pack
Patagonia 30L SnowDrifter Pack- photo from Patagonia.com

See in you in the mountains,

NEAlpineStart

AIARE 1 Avalanche Course
Weather clears out as cold front comes in

 

Mount Washington Climb

Yesterday Torontonians Julia & Adam came down from Canada to attempt Mount Washington. They graciously brought with them our first real winter weather.

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MWOBS Higher Summits Forecast

With a strong desire to become well outfitted and self-reliant winter climbers we spent about an hour in the morning focused on gear concerns. From face masks to ice axes we went over everything before hopping in our vehicles and heading to the trail-head.

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Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Pinkham Notch, White Mountains of New Hampshire

During our climb up to the Summer Lion’s Head Trail we talked about everything from proper nutrition and layering strategies to frostbite treatment and high altitude medical issues. Adam is definitely on track to take a Wilderness First Responder course in his future.

Summer Lions Head Trail
Just below tree-line on the Summer Lions Head Trail

Conditions above treeline were relatively pleasant with manageable wind chill & visibility. We pushed on to Lions Head.

Summiting Lion's Head
Summiting Lion’s Head

Our later than average start had us reach Lion’s Head at 1:30pm. We knew we couldn’t summit and get back down the steeps before dark, so we decided to push on to the Alpine Garden Trail to get a little more time above tree-line before heading down.

Alpine Garden Trail
Alpine Garden Trail with Summit Cone in the background
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Later when I saw this selfie I took all I could think was “Luke, I am your climbing guide”. Guess Star Wars is on everyone’s mind.

We made our way back down and stopped on one of the steeper sections of the trail to learn & practice the “arm-wrap rappel”, a great way to descend 3rd & some 4th class terrain.

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Our route- ViewRanger App

Julie & Adam are definitely an adventurous mother & son duo. I look forward to the next time I get to climb with them!

Fifth Annual Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop (“ESAW”)

Each year I mark the beginning of thinking about snow with this annual workshop. I haven’t missed one yet, and each year friend and colleague Jonathan Shefftz writes a summary article for The Avalanche Review about the presenters and topics (as well as organize vendor booths and collect raffle items). This year the American Avalanche Association and Jonathan have given me permission to post his article here before it goes to print!  *All photos are mine and not part of official TAR article

Our venue, the Omni Resorts Mount Washington Hotel
Our venue, the Omni Resorts Mount Washington Hotel
The Grand Ballroom, plenty of room for 225+ attendees
The Grand Ballroom, plenty of room for 225+ attendees

Fifth Annual Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop (“ESAW”)

by Jonathan S. Shefftz

The fifth annual Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop (“ESAW”) on November 7 attracted a record of more than 225 attendees near the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire’s Presidential Range.

This year’s ESAW was once again a collaborative effort. The organizing partners included the Snow Rangers of the USFS Mount Washington Avalanche Center led by Chris Joosen, and the Mount Washington Volunteer Ski Patrol. ESAW also once again relied on a grant from our lead sponsor the American Avalanche Association (“AAA”), led here by AAA Eastern Representative Chris Joosen, with your faithful correspondent as AAA Member Representative. Additional support came from the American Alpine Club and our headline industry sponsor Outdoor Research. Registration fee proceeds over and above hosting costs benefited the White Mountain Avalanche Education Fund, which provides avalanche education to youth of the Northeast.

ESAW 2015 kicked off the prior Friday evening with a social event hosted by the Friends of Mount Washington Avalanche Center and fueled by Smuttynose Brewery at the International Mountain Equipment shop and guide service. Then Saturday morning the avalanche presentations started up at the aptly named Grand Ballroom of the Mount Washington Hotel: famed site of the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference that established the post-WW2 international monetary order (including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank).

Although your faithful correspondent’s economics expertise pales in comparison to that of the 1944 conference’s John Maynard Keynes et al., our ESAW speaker line-up this year measured up to the best of them. Read on for proof. (And no more economics references, promise!)

Chris Joosen introduced us to our first theme of Warming. Dr. Bruce Jamieson, Professor in the Applied Snow and Avalanche Research program at the University of Calgary (along with far too many other positions and accomplishments to enumerate here), presented on “Warming of Dry Snow: Instability and Decision Making.” When Bruce offers training on this topic, the response is often, “Come back in March.” But this phenomenon can occur at any time of the season, even during otherwise wintry conditions. Assessing its potential is complicated by the lack of any direct numerical forecasts for solar radiation, as opposed to precipitation, temperature, and wind.

Dr. Bruce Jamieson, presented on “Warming of Dry Snow: Instability and Decision Making.”
Dr. Bruce Jamieson, presented on “Warming of Dry Snow: Instability and Decision Making.”

And if that wasn’t sufficiently technical for us, the snow science level was ratcheted up by Dr. Sam Colbeck, retired from the U.S. Army’s Cold Region Research and Engineering Laboratory (in Hanover, NH) after three decades of groundbreaking cold lab and field research in snow crystal bonding and wet grain relationships. In his fourth year of ESAW presentations, this time Sam explained to us “The Physics of Warming.” The scale varied from micrographic pictures of snow crystals to the varying effects of global climate change upon Greenland versus Antarctica.

It got a bit deep here in the physics realm
It got a bit deep here in the physics realm

The next theme was Communicating Avalanche Information. Don Sharaf, co-owner of the American Avalanche Institute and forecaster for Valdez Heli-Ski Guides, presented on “Communicating Avalanche Information Effectively within Operations.” Along the way, he touched on the perception of “too cold for avalanches”: a colleague once saw an avalanche at … -48F!

We were then whisked all the way from Alaska to Europe by Dr. Rudi Mair, Director of the Lawinenwarnzentrale (Avalanche Crisis Center) for the Tyrol region of Austria on the topic of “Avalanche Danger Patterns.” The “clearly predicable course of events” for most avalanches was illustrated by many incidents that concluded with variations of, “he was found clearly dead.” (The his-and-hers paragliding avalanche incident though was certainly an atypical context!)

From there we went up into the “cloud” for “The Impact of Social Media on Decision Making” presented by Jerry Isaak, Chair for the Department of Expeditionary Studies at Plattsburgh State University of New York. Although we can easily be so dismissive of selfie-stick narcissism, social media is simply the modern technological expression of the ancient human impulse to tell stories.

Jerry Isaak presents “The Impact of Social Media on Decision Making”
Jerry Isaak presents “The Impact of Social Media on Decision Making”

After the lunch table we were treated to a round table panel discussion on “Traveling into New Terrain: Responsibilities, Questions, Risk, and Making Good Decisions” moderated by Chris Joosen, with participants Bruce Jamieson, Don Sharaf, Rudi Mari, and Jerry Isaak. The most dramatic example was probably Jerry’s planned trip for this coming season with his university students to Kyrgyzstan!

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Round table panel discussion on “Traveling into New Terrain: Responsibilities, Questions, Risk, and Making Good Decisions” moderated by Chris Joosen

We then retreated to nice safe bucolic Vermont, the neighboring Green Mountain State. But perhaps not always so safe everywhere, as Neil Van Dyke, SAR Coordinator for the Vermont Department of Public Safety, reminded us with “Avalanche Terrain of Vermont.” And this is no mere conceptual threat, as a decade earlier Neil led the response to an avalanche fatality in Vermont.

The final theme was Stability Analysis. Don Sharaf led off with the highly pertinent “Easterners Heading West on a Backcountry Ski Vacation: A Stability and Decision Approach.” Among a wealth of valuable advice he reminded us to: “Listen to the locals … but don’t necessarily trust them.” (So apologies in advance if any of us sound skeptical this coming season when soliciting beta from you!)

Then Bruce Jamieson addressed “Field Observations and Snowpack Tests: Which is Best When?” And Rudi Mair presented on “Avalanche Forecasting Operations.”

Bruce Jamieson addressed “Field Observations and Snowpack Tests: Which is Best When?”
Bruce Jamieson addressed “Field Observations and Snowpack Tests: Which is Best When?”

We concluded with our annual expo, including displays from reps for the American Alpine Club, Backcountry Access, Black Diamond / Pieps, Catamount Trail Association, Dynafit / Pomoca, Friends of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center, Hagan, La Sportiva, Mammut / Barryvox, and Outdoor Research (our headline industry sponsor). We raffled off donations from these companies plus the American Avalanche Association, American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education, DPS Skis, Free Range Equipment, Mountain Hardwear, MSR, Ortovox, Sterling Rope, Toko, and Voile.

In a break from tradition, instead of subsisting for the evening on scarfed-down free pretzels at the expo, we sat down for a formal dinner at the hotel. This was a memorial to Ronnie Berlack and Bryce Astle, U.S. Ski Team alpine racers who died in an avalanche only ten months ago in Austria. In addition to some other presentations, Rudi Mair delivered the keynote address on “How do we deal with avalanches and their mortal dangers when we can’t understand the risks in their whole complexity?” A U.S. Ski Team racer who was with Ronnie and Bryce at the avalanche incident addressed us via video, and was capped by a heartfelt address by U.S.

Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster and prepared remarks from U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen read by Chuck Henderson, her Special Assistant for Projects and Policy.

By far the most moving moments were a tearful address from Bryce’s mother that brought many of us to the same, plus one line in particular from Ronnie’s mother that summed up everything we are all trying to achieve:

“We want to keep you from suffering our loss.”

Jonathan Shefftz lives with his wife and mondopoint-size 18 daughter (still too small for “Tech”-compatible ski touring boots) in Western Massachusetts, where he patrols at Northfield Mountain and Mount Greylock. He is an AIARE-qualified instructor, NSP avalanche instructor, and AAA governing board member. When he is not searching out elusive freshies in Southern New England or “coaching” his daughter’s skiing (i.e., picking her up off the snow), he works as a financial economics consultant and has been qualified as an expert witness in state and federal courts. He can be reached at JShefftz@post.harvard.edu or just look for the lycra-clad skinner training for his NE Rando Race Series.

Thank you Jonathan for all that you do to further avalanche education in the East and for letting me share your article!

The following day I returned for a focused workshop “Reducing Risk and Exposure for Avalanche Workers” led by USFS Snow Ranger Chris Joosen. This 3 hour session was targeted at search and rescue groups, Fish & Game, local climbing guides, patrollers, and others who work professionally in avalanche terrain.

Reducing Risk and Exposure for Avalanche Workers
Reducing Risk and Exposure for Avalanche Workers

Towards the end Don Sharaf, co-owner of the American Avalanche Institute and forecaster for Valdez Heli-Ski Guides, laid down some impressive statistics about how many times during his 25+ year career he has had an “incident”, companion buried, near miss, burial, or died (still at zero knock on wood). This particular graph was enlightening, especially when Don talked about some of the things that cause these big drops in confidence:

Confidence in avalanche skills over time
Confidence in avalanche skills over time

It was a very productive morning and I’m hoping Chris continues this professional development session after the official ESAW next year.

Well it’s time to find your beacons and put some fresh batteries in, avalanche season is right around the corner! General Advisory’s will be posted at the Mount Washington Avalanche Center once the season really gets under way, usually no later than mid-December. I also have a few beacons I’ll be reviewing this season, and a cool outdoor survival kit review coming this Monday so stay tuned!

Omni Mount Washington Hotel while leaving from the 2nd day of ESAW
Omni Mount Washington Hotel while leaving from the 2nd day of ESAW

See you in the mountains,

NEAlpineStart

Fall/Winter Review Preview (and Product Giveaway Winners!)

Over the years I’ve discovered one of the things I enjoy most about blogging is writing gear reviews. While this blog will still host various trip reports and “how-to” articles in the Skill Zone I’m going to start putting more effort into reviewing quality gear. 21 years in the outdoor gear industry and 11 years as a professional mountain guide have definitely given me the opportunity to form opinions on what works, and what doesn’t. Here’s a quick look at some of the products I’ll be reviewing soon:

DPS Wailer 99 Tour 1 Skis
DPS Wailer 99 Tour 1 Skis
Patagonia Snow Drifter 30L
Patagonia Snow Drifter 30L
Patagonia Men's Reconnaissance Jacket
Patagonia Men’s Reconnaissance Jacket
Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Ice Pack
Hyperlite Mountain Gear 3400 Ice Pack

Many of these reviews will also have some great product giveaways. Some of the “schwag” I have to give away includes ice screws, climbing knives, and foot powder. So if you are into reading about outdoor gear, and possibly winning some, consider following this blog. I’ll be posting a gear review at least twice a month.

Congratulations to Jay for winning the coolest climbing knife in the world and Ben for winning the best foot powder on earth as part of the first Outdoor App Review series.

See you in the mountains!

-NEAlpineStart

The Whitney Gilman Ridge, Cannon Cliff (11/4/15)

Yesterday Oliver returned fresh off his 5 day trip to Yosemite where he had bagged the iconic Royal Arches and Cathedral Peak. Next on my tick list for him back east was the Whitney Gilman Ridge, a classic east coast climb that should be on every climbers wish list!

We left Conway at 8:20am and started across the Kancamagus Highway.

About 10 miles later Oliver was telling me a story about forgetting one of the ropes after getting to Royal Arches and it dawned on me I had left our rope right next to my front door.

We left Conway at 9:00am and started across the Kancamagus Highway.

We drove north through the notch and after reversing direction pulled into the climber’s lot and checked the sign in box. No one had signed in for anything on the cliff. We filled out a trip plan for “the WG” and hopped back in the car.

I’m convinced that this climb is best approached from Lafayette Place Campground to the south despite almost every guidebook and website recommending to approach from the north climber lot. Two reasons;

First, at the end of the day when you hit the bike path you are much closer to your car and it is slightly downhill instead of slightly uphill.

Second, it’s a lot easier to be sure you’ve found the right approach trail. Many people trying to find it from the north have passed it then found the descent trail and believed it to be the approach trail. This leads to a lot of wasted time and perhaps some horrendous bushwhacking. When coming from the south you simply locate the first marked trail on the left (the descent trail), then find the next one. It also happens to be exactly .99mi if you are using any type of GPS device.

We left the car at 10:07am.

For us it was a 15 brisk walk to reach the approach trail.

Whitney Gilman Ridge
Our track log, red for approach, black for descent. Just under 2.8 miles round-trip.

We made our way up the talus field to the stunning ridge.

The Whitney Gilman Ridge
The Whitney Gilman Ridge

During our scramble I shared some of the fascinating history of the route. It is simply amazing that Bradley Gilman and Hassler Whitney pulled this route off on August 3, 1929! It has been suggested by the late climbing historian Guy Waterman that at the time of this ascent it was the hardest rock climb in the States!

It took us 52 minutes to reach the route, of which there are a few variations. I always prefer the direct start to the original line.

PITCH 1 & 2

Whitney Gilman Ridge Direct Start
Whitney Gilman Ridge Direct Start

The crux of this pitch is in the 5.6 – 5.7 range but it happens to be right off the ground trying to reach that horizontal on the right. You can get some really solid arm bars in the crack, which is featured if you reach far enough back, and you should be able to get up to that horizontal, get a good left arm bar and foot jam, and calmly place your first piece (SPOILER: .5 BD cam, clipped directly is perfect).

After that it is just really fun cruising to a nice belay ledge (140ft) with some attractive parallel cracks (often a fixed cam or two is in the left hand crack). This is an excellent place to stop to maintain easy communication, but you could push higher up if you are climbing on a 60m rope and feeling strong for the grade. (SPOILER: both cracks are fun but the right one is a little easier). I pushed on to the next ledge, technically the top of pitch 2. The options for a gear anchor on this large ledge are pretty far back from the edge which could make communication challenging as running it to here is about 55 meters. Using a method to extend yourself back to the edge of the ledge will really help with belaying your second.

While belaying Oliver up I could see our shadows being cast further down the cliff. You can easily see me at the top of the second pitch and Oliver reaching the large ledge at the top of  the first pitch:

Whitney Gilman Ridge
Can you see us?
The Whitney Gilman Ridge
Oliver finishing up the 2nd pitch in good style

PITCH 3

From here I usually take the 5.8 right side variation. This variation brings you up a stellar splitter jam crack to an optional small belay ledge below the slightly overhanging “North Wall”. The moves leaving the anchor here are a bit tricky but the holds are positive and after a few feet the climbing eases up just before merging with the famous Pipe Pitch at the pipe itself. I think next time I head that way I’ll try skipping the small stance and continue up the steep North Wall & Pipe Pitch. I’m pretty sure the rope will make it and drag will be minimal if you run out the easier bits at the beginning before reaching the splitter jam crack.

Today though I decide to take the original line as I hadn’t seen how rockfall from a few years ago had altered this section and I was curious how it may have changed. I also liked the idea of another belay in the sun. The climbing was pretty casual and it was easy to avoid the loose stuff by staying right towards the end of the pitch. A fixed nut & cam in the left hand crack along with some of your own gear makes for a fast anchor, and you can stare at the splitter knee eating crack while you belay thinking about how not to put your knee in it. (Spoiler: Use the right most crack and face holds on the right and never touch the knee eating crack)

Pitch 4

Oliver arrived ready for the infamous “Pipe Pitch”. This is one of my favorite pitches anywhere. You just can not beat the exposure as you pass the historic pipe and the Black Dike drops hundreds of feet below you. I realize as I’m staring down at the damp looking Black Dike that the first ice climb of the season was done 16 days ago! Check out this pic from NEIce:

Black Dike, Cannon Cliff
16 days ago on the neighboring Black Dike! From NEIce.com, Photo by Majka Burhardt. More on their climb in this Julbo article

No signs of ice today as I pull through the crux in a t-shirt and sunglasses.

Whitney Gilman Ridge, Cannon Cliff
Oliver has just pulled the exposed moves on the Pipe Pitch and is all smiles

Pitch 5

Sticking with the original line I did a quick pitch up to the small stance below the final corner. The anchor here is a bit tricky. A .75 BD Camalot placed up high in an undercling flake, combined with a knifeblade fixed pin and a small alien to the right make it happen.

Whitney Gilman Ridge, Cannon Cliff
Oliver arrives at the start of the last pitch

Pitch 6

The moves off the anchor on this pitch are a bit funky. There’s a bit of “questionable” holds here and there (it is Cannon after all), but with a funky high-step and stretch to reach a pin higher, one move right and it’s all over. Happy cruising from there we reach the top at 2:30pm, 3.5 hours on route.

After un-roping and enjoying the view we head down the descent trail which takes a cool hour to reach the car (I really think that is faster than walking back up the bike path to the climbers lot.

Another fantastic day with Oliver! I’ve climbed a fair bit with Oliver in the last month or so and I was curious to see how much so I totaled up our 5 days of climbing we have had since our first climb on September 19th.

Day 1 Cormier-Magness, Whitehorse, first 4 pitches and Upper Refuse, Cathedral 900ft

Day 2 Standard Route, Whitehorse 1,150ft

Day 3 Thin Air, Cathedral, 3 North End Routes , 550ft

Day 4 Lakeview, Cannon Cliff, 1,100ft

Day 5 Whitney Gilman Ridge, Cannon Cliff, 600ft

4,300 feet of technical climbing in just over a month (plus a trip to Yosemite). Oliver is really getting after it! I can’t wait to get him out on some nice long ice routes this winter!

Coming Monday a review on the new EMS® Men’s Feather Pack 800 DownTek™ Hooded Jacket.

EMS® Men’s Feather Pack 800 DownTek™ Hooded Jacket
EMS® Men’s Feather Pack 800 DownTek™ Hooded Jacket- Top of Whitney Gilman Ridge, Cannon Cliff, Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire- photo by Oliver

See you in the mountains,

NEAlpineStart

Private Rock Climbing with Ty & Maria

Yesterday I had the pleasure of introducing Floridians Ty & Maria to rock climbing in New Hampshire. This adventurous couple had a great sense of humor and positive energy through-out our day. We climbed 4 pitches on Whitehorse, rappelled the Barber Wall, and finished up Upper Refuse in the afternoon.

Walking up to Whitehorse Ledge
Walking up to Whitehorse Ledge
A low flying military C-130?
A low flying military C-130?
Looking down Pitch 2 of Beginners Route
Looking down Pitch 2 of Beginners Route
Looking down Pitch 4
Looking down Pitch 4
During our descent
During our descent
Our scenic lunch spot with Whitehorse Lunch in the background
Our scenic lunch spot with Whitehorse Ledge in the background
Rappelling the Barber Wall
Rappelling the Barber Wall
Pitch 2 of Upper Refuse
Pitch 2 of Upper Refuse
Looking down pitch 3 of Upper Refuse
Looking down pitch 3 of Upper Refuse

It seemed to be quite a memorable day for both and I’ll remember their cheerfulness even as I introduced them to a hanging belay on a crowded Upper Refuse. Hope to see you both up here again sometime!

I also just finished two days with YMCA Camp Frost Valley and will have pics from that posted soon! Heading back out tomorrow for another 2 person private rock climbing lesson and the weather for the 4th of July looks awesome!

Happy 4th of July everyone! See you in the mountains!

-NEAlpineStart

Private Rock Climbing on Whitehorse & Cathedral Ledge

Lynn came up from Portsmouth today with a little bit of gym climbing and Pawtuckaway top-roping experience under her belt. She hadn’t done any multi-pitch climbing yet and wanted to work on her fear of heights & exposure. An avid runner and outgoing person I knew we would have a great day together. We started our morning at Whitehorse Ledge and climbed 4 pitches of Beginner’s Route to work on building trust in both our feet, and the climbing system.

Looking down 1st pitch of Beginner's Route with Cranmore Ski Mountain in the background
Looking down 1st pitch of Beginner’s Route with Cranmore Ski Mountain in the background
Rappelling from pitch 4 of Begineer's Route
Rappelling from pitch 4 of Beginner’s Route

We drove over to Cathedral Ledge and grabbed some lunch after checking out the new trail work happening up there.

Mulched burms
Mulched burms
New access to the fenced outlook
New access to the fenced outlook

After grabbing a bite to eat up top we made out way down to the top of the Barber Wall and rapped down Chicken Delight.

Doesn't look scare of heights here does she?
Doesn’t look scare of heights here does she?

Over to Upper Refuse we went…

Type 1 Fun
Pitch 1: Type 1 Fun
Key foot out right "Type 2 fun"
Pitch 2: Key foot out right “Type 2 fun”
Almost the top... Type 2.5 fun?
Pitch 3: Almost the top… Type 2.5 fun?

Despite having some very real issues with heights & exposure Lynn pushed herself quite a bit outside her “comfort” zone and made some great progress through-out the day. With trips planned to bigger peaks in Central America I hope to see her up here again pushing herself and gaining confidence on the rock.

Solo Speed Hike up Mount Chocorua

I decided to stretch the legs and lungs a bit this morning with a speed hike up Mount Chocorua (3,490 feet).

Mount Chocorua, 3,950 feet
Mount Chocorua, 3,490 feet

You might ask, “What is speed hiking?” or “How does this differ from trail running or normal hiking?” Valid questions! Also called “Fastpacking” speed hiking is different from both trail running and normal hiking. This Merrell blog post has some good advice and tries to differentiate between the two (or three). Here’s my personal definitions of each;

Trail Running: No pack required, staying within one hour of car/help, generally on smoother trails/running surfaces. All you need is what you are wearing, quality trail running sneakers, and perhaps a waist water bottle & packet or two of energy gel. Pace is a running pace through-out.

Speed Hiking: Small hydration pack with a few hundred cubic inches of storage space. Going deeper into the woods so bringing essentials is a good idea. In my pack today; 1st aid kit, headlamp, bivy sack, knife, food, water, map, compass, hat, sunglasses, bug dope. Pack without water weighed less than 5 pounds. Maintain an uphill pace that makes conversation a bit uncomfortable. Heart rate & respiration rate elevated for all uphill. Same pace downhill should allow conversation. Jog sure footed sections and “speed walk” trickier spots with bad footing or steep grades. Hiking times will probably be about 50% of “guidebook” time.

Hiking: Normal hiking pack with the ten essentials. After a 10-15 minute “warm-up” settle into a “conversationalist” pace. You should be able to chat with your hiking partners, otherwise you are working too hard, reel it in and find a rhythm. Hiking times should be about 80-110% of “guidebook time”, depending on fitness.

I chose a couple trails I had not been on yet, as I am a bit of a “redliner” at heart. For my ascent I used the Liberty Trail.

A nice section of steady climbing
A nice section of steady climbing
Some cool glacial striations that ran perfectly north/south.
Some cool glacial striations that ran perfectly north/south.
A Garter snake gets some sun
A Garter snake gets some sun
Jim Liberty Cabin sits about 500 feet and half a mile below the rocky prominence of Chocorua's summit
Jim Liberty Cabin sits about 500 feet and half a mile below the rocky prominence of Chocorua’s summit
Close to the summit
Close to the summit
Shameless Selfie
Shameless Selfie

This trail climbs 2,700 feet in 3.8 miles. I was pretty happy to see 1hr31min on my watch when I reached the summit. I spent about 10 minutes enjoying the view and snacking on a cereal bar & energy gel before starting my descent down the Brook Trail. This trail drops 2,700 feet in 3.6 miles returning to the same parking lot I had started from.

Cairns on Brook Trail
Cairns on Brook Trail

After dipping back down into the woods I started coming across a lot of moose scat. Each pile appeared fresh enough for me to keep my eyes peeled, but alas I did not spot one.

Moose scat
Moose scat #notchocolate

I reached the car at one minute shy of 3 hours, a stones throw away from 7 miles round-trip. I was pretty pleased considering I haven’t had much exercise since the winter guiding season ended. I also got a nice ego stroke by passing the only two people I saw all day heading up the trail just before the parking lot. They asked if I had summited and when I said yes they followed with “What time did you start hiking?” My “3 hours ago” answer got a jaw drop and I headed for home.

193

192

191

So, ya. Speed hiking. I should do this more often. Two really important notes;

Weather Forecast! Speed hiking with minimal gear means you have little margin for error or unexpected bad weather. If you plan to speed hike above or near tree-line be sure to check the Higher Summits Forecast and save your speed hiking goals for stable weather!

Spotter! Let someone trustworthy know you intended route and estimated time. I’ve gotten in the habit of taking a screen shot from my iPhone GPS app and adding my route plan and texting it to my wife & a close friend. I always give them a time I will call (at least 1-2 hours later than I think it will take). Someone needs to know what you are up to, especially with Solo Speed Hiking.

And this last bit brings up some good topics, namely, technology/communication in the back-country. Just last week a young couple was rescued off the Presidentials when they got lost trying to descend Boot Spur Trail on Mount Washington and headed down Davis Path instead. The kicker? They decided not to buy a map and instead took a photo of a map at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center with their smartphone. They spent a very long night out above tree-line and were not “rescued” until 10 am the next day.

But I love technology. I embrace it. But not without the essential knowledge of Wilderness Navigation backing it up. Over the next couple weeks I’ll be reviewing and addressing some of the tools available for us to stay in touch. On that list:

iPhone App Central: What outdoor apps are awesome? Advantages/disadvantages.

SPOT Gen 3 Personal Locator Beacon

Backcountry Access BC Link Radios

So if you are interested consider following this blog. The option is right up at the top right. Thanks for reading, and see you in the mountains!

-NEAlpineStart