The new Cassin X Dream
The Black Diamond Stinger
Chapel Pond Canyon clinic
Doug making the delivery into the "Canyon"
Otis Mountain clinic
Keese Lane giving some tools a run
Zoe Hart enjoying a cup of hot soup
Plenty of hot soup for the climbers on this cold day.
A cold and frosty start.
Breakfast at Rock & River
Matt and Bayard talking about the up coming day of guideing
All the gear you want to demo.
The Gallery
In late October the first ice was climbed. The ice season was starting. As usual I was chomping at the bit and wanted more. Then the temperature started to show signs of being bipoler. The swings so far this season have been up and down like an out of control EKG reading. And although there is a prediction of 6-10″ of snow as I write this, a very lean snow year is upon us.
Hitting the conditions while the weather was in a state of mania was the trick. Some of us failed and were caught in the quick swing back to manic. Many climbers have voiced disdain for the start of the season, those that have, are not totally wrong. The usual steep suspects have been slow to show up and some of the big routes many not even form this season. However, if one looked, there has been plenty of ice to climb and in some of the best conditions a climber could ever wish for. A lean snow year has it’s advantages too. All that one has to do is stop the neighing and giddy-up.
Katie Ives, Trick or Treating in Damnation Gully, Huntington Ravine
I had this day planned for some time. It’s early January and with very little snow, a good shot of cold air, the time was right. Even ice at the lower elevations was forming at last and getting climbed. Repentance, Remission and Dropline, being some of the steeper lines, were sent. But for me I had something else in mind. The conditions were ripe for a day of continuous movement over a variety of terrain before any snow falls and sucker punches my plan right in the throat.
Mt. Webster in Crawford Notch is like home for me. But the funny thing was, I had yet to visit as many of the beautiful, alpine rooms it contains in one session. These rooms would be full of water ice flooring. The typical rugs of white were not installed as of yet. The descents would be more challenging however. Steep, gothic style tree fencing and icy to bare hard earth. But the beauty of hitting these gullies filled with ice, would be well worth the pain of the descents.
The lighting of the day.
The Gauntlet
Linking gullies on Mt. Webster has not been an easy thing for me to envision. Which order to do them and how to get down after each ascent has raged like a battle in my mind, back and forth, always ending in stalemate. Though I think of the climbs on this mountain as alpine routes, the mountain is at a low elevation and trees ring the routes like a crown of thorns. You have but two choices to get down after each climb. The winding Webster Cliff Trail or throw down the gauntlet and bushwhack down the steep, thickly wooded slope of this mountains western aspect. I decided to take the pill that makes you small and chase the white rabbit down through the woods to my next climb.
Shoestring’s deliciousness
With a plan conjured up during my drive, I’m off for Shoestring Gully. Being the most popular route I need to do it before the tsunami of people arrive. The approach is easy and the ice could not have been better. After topping out, I do the opposite of a normal Shoestring session. I plunge up hill into the woods then crank a hard left and angle down to the start of Horseshoe Gully.
The descent is through a variety of flora & ground conditions. Tightly growing trees and eight inches of snow lead to open rock with small cliffs. This in turn gives way to more deciduous trees and bare, hard ground. I work my way down and north to the next crease in the mountain.
Horseshoe is a line I had never been on. The climbing was not it’s redeeming feature, its character and mood was. To be in a place I had never tread was wonderful. The views out, towards the notch and Mt. Willey were different for me. While in this gully the clouds had lowered and a light snow started to fall. I look up to a mixture of snow and ice, rolling upwards to the deep woods hemming in this upper zone. It’s there I moved out and south to make my descent. In what seemed a short amount time I was following my tracks down once more. Another act of stumbling, falling, getting stabbed and slapped in the face was underway. All the while yelping like a hurt coyote or growling like a bear as I pay my fee for traveling through this place.
I make for my car and move up to the Willey House parking and my next climb, Landslide Gully. My plan being to ascend that climb then continue north along the Webster Cliff Trail to the mountains summit. Once there I would drop down the Mountaineers Route and work my way south to Central Couloir. But first, Landslide Gully.
Typically buried with snow, Landslide sported enjoyable ice for hundreds of feet
This landslide scar is the longest, continuous line on Webster and is a gem of a route with little snow. Long before the leg burning, low angle slab ( top in the shot above ) a narrow cascade of ice meandered downward through the lower reaches of the boulder strewn gully. I put on my crampons and roll along this. Moving up this frozen water like a part of it, but in reverse fashion from which it was formed.
The Headwall section, Landslide Gully
After the calf burning slab one rounds a corner to the headwall section. These two tiers had beautiful, soft columns to ascend. Above this the meandering cascade continues for some distance. Then the exit slot appears. This deep gash is similar in form to the Cleft on Mt.Willard. Very hidden and only revealing its beauty to those that venture to it’s door. The bushwhack to the Webster Cliff Trail is short and easy. I use the walking along this trail as a rest for my legs before what I know will be a tense descent of the Mountaineers Route. This line has a very long talus tongue that will have about eight inches of snow on it. I feel a healthy dose of butt kicking will be coming my way all too soon.
Along Webster’s ridge
Hiking along the ridge is wildly beautiful. The wind has picked up, the feel is pure winter and not a soul is around. From the summit I move down a steep exposed section to the main opening of the Mountaineers Route. The talus is as I expected, loose and covered with just enough snow to make it a major epic. However off to the side I find a little ease. The scrub and trees offer better ground and more snow has accumulated covering some of the roughness.
I descend fast and in a blink of an eye, the deeper snow disappears, the woods thicken and I’m back on frozen brown ground. My movement down is an uncontrolled, reversed version of Tarzan. At last I come to the Gallery area. This is an excellent place to climb, one totally overlooked though in plan view from the road. From here I traverse the base of the huge rock slab that becomes the left side of Central Couloir. The footing is treacherous, a light dusting of snow covers waxy oak leaves, roots and sticks. Another body beating takes place. My legs are tired and cramp up something awful. I’m hobbled by spasms and begin to doubt if I’ll be able to climb Central.
When I arrive at the start of the route my legs are sore and close to being sloppy dead but the cramps are gone. The start of the route is thin but soon it becomes another awesome connection of ice walls and slabs. At the upper cliff band I have to call the day. To do one of the finishes would be hard and there is no easy way out. Not to mention I would have to descend ether the Mountaineers Route again or take the Webster Cliff trail back south and the road back to my car.
The Willey House in Crawford Notch
The journey down to the Willey House parking from my high point will be no easy task. I chill for a moment and enjoy the place I’m in. After a few photos I begin my descent through the woods on the south side of Central. One last marble run takes place. Except this time I’m completely spent . However I have beer in my car and get one more click of energy out of my body so it all balances out.
A total of eight hours was spent moving up and down Mt. Websters west face. The elevation gain & loss for the day was ~ 12,800′. Not bad for starting at ~1,100′ on a mountain that is only 3,800′ high.
~Alfonzo
Mountainfest is an annual celebration of ice climbing and mountaineering, featuring guest athletes who entertain us with tales of climbing adventures, instructional clinics taught by visiting climbers and local guides, demo gear, and a chance to gather with the climbing community for an exciting winter weekend.
Mountainfest 2012 boasts an excellent lineup of speakers, including Zoe Hart, Bayard Russell and Matt McCormick, and Emilie Drinkwater. Their slide shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings promise to be entertaining and also offer a chance to win raffle gear and free giveaways.
We’re offering more clinics than ever this year, including tons of ice climbing courses, snow and alpine climbing, snowshoe mountaineering, avalanche safety, and wilderness first aid. Many of the event sponsors will be here with the latest gear for you to take and climb with on both Saturday and Sunday.
Whether you come for the clinics or just climb on your own and check out the evening entertainment, Mountainfest is the place to be on Martin Luther King weekend.
We are now taking registrations now. Please call us at (518) 576-2281 from 8am to 5:30pm every day.
Classes | Instructors | Registration | Schedule
Adirondack Rock and River Guide Service
Dropline 1/1/12
The Penguin 1/1/12
Smear 1/1/12
Pegasus, Rock Finish variation & Hobbit Couloir 1/1/12
Chia 1/1/12
Diagonal, 1/1/12
P1 Repentence, 1/1/12
Repentence, 1/1/12
Remission, 1/1/12
Goofer's Direct, 1/1/12
Morning light touches the summit of Baxter Peak after a light snow.
Katahdin, late November. Doug, Fred, Chris and I are booked. All our friends thought we were nuts. I think the Baxter State Park Rangers did too. I guess I don’t blame everyone. After all, early season ice is a gamble, never mind the fact that this seasons start has been an on again, off again affair. To roll the dice on something being climbable in this remote place with the commitment needed? Ok, perhaps a little nuts. But there is something still very intriguing about going into this mountain with the earth still brown.
Sleds, Skis, Wagons, Bikes & Cars – photo Fredwardo
I know one thing, I’m not carrying a huge pack to Roaring Brook. Just the amount of wine, whiskey and food out weigh me. Add in the other gear and I’m totally out horse powered. From RB to Chimney Pond is only 3.2 miles so thats fine. I can make two trips if necessary.
On the day of our departure Doug gets a call from Ranger Rob. The gate is open and we can DRIVE to Roaring Brook! There is one tiny catch, we can’t leave the car there for if it snows, we’re screwed. Our orders are to park at the visitor center after we unload the gear. No problem, I’ll bring my mountain bike and ride the 8 miles back to RB. We laugh at this news and think “Now who is crazy for going in so early!!!”
Rob has one more piece of info though, it rained recently and most of the ice that was forming, fell. Yeah, who is crazy now. But ice is not our only goal, for Katahdin offers many wonderful adventures.
The places and the characters in the story below are a blend of both fact and fiction. Some events have been changed. Any resemblance to places, people, alive or deceased is pure coincidence and a dirty shame.
After an insane night in Millinocket, a night of partying with inked, edgy, Russian chicks, a bar fight and racing across the road in front of logging trucks, the day dawns blue and cold. A healthy serving of eggs & hash at Angelos Pizza Grill is consumed and we are off. There is not a speck of white to be seen along the drive in. We pass the gatehouse and motor the dirt road to Roaring Brook. A quick unload of our stuff at the bunkhouse ensues. Plastic bottles are filled with the plethora of liquors we brought. Jagermeister, Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Makers Mark, Fireball Whiskey, Root and Laphroaig. Alas, the amount of alcohol to empty bottle ratio is way off.
Essentials of the trip – photo Fredwardo
Our perfectly filled out paper work – photo Fredwardo (click to enlarge)
The view from Pamola to the slabs
Thin but very climbable ice is ascended for hundreds of feet. A unique talus field greets us high on the mountain above the ice. As we weave thru its huge stones, our voices ring out with admiration of this beautiful place.
Fredwardo working on the slabs
The Book of Dudley – photo Fedwardo
Machine and Man with Smoking Face, Hamlin Ridge
Clouds
Pamola, Chimney Peak & the Knife Edge
The place for gifts, smokes, & salty meats
Gorillas on the Ridge
Nearing Chimney Peak- photo Fredwardo
The mountain sweeps down and contours around in the quintessential ancient cirque form. This is the place where Pomola roams, but where is he?
Man in Sneaker, Chimney Peak – photo Fredwardo
Not so good. In fact, not good at all!
Cannon and I have a checkered past: I’ve backed off of more routes there than I’ve finished. I’ve crawled my way down the talus after spraining my ankle. Many consider consider Cannon their go to crag… for me, knowing I’m going to climb there the next day is a sure recipe for a restless night.
Article by Patrick Cooke
I first tried to climb the Black Dike in February 2009. I had a week off from work, conditions were good in NH, and I was ready to go. Unfortunately, as happens all too often, circumstance arose to ruin the best-laid plans. My partner couldn’t make it up for our planned day to hit the Dike, and a week of climbing turned into a week of scrounging for partners with ever-declining weather.
By Thursday, I’d managed to find a partner for only one day and it was beginning to rain. Fantastic conditions in the Valley were steadily deteriorating, but a forecast for colder temperatures starting Thursday night meant there was still hope that the Dike would be in. Furtive pleas on the forums landed me an experienced partner, and it looked like I’d be able to salvage the week…
Moving through the rock traverse and swinging into the ice on the second pitch, things were not going as well as I’d hoped. The previous night’s rain was followed by snow, and each swing brought about a cascade of flash-frozen snow and dinner plates. My first sign of trouble, though, was looking up at p.2 and Nick (who’d climbed it a number of times) saying “I don’t want any part of that” when I offered him the lead for the sake of keeping moving and staying warm. We’d made the slog up there, however, so I had to give it a try. Needless to say, we bailed, tails firmly tucked between our legs.
In retrospect, I wasn’t really ready for the Dike. Looking back now I realize I just didn’t have enough experience on the sharp end in less than ideal conditions to feel confident moving through thin, brittle conditions well above gear. This experience only added to the mystique Cannon has held in my psyche: where some only see possibility, I only saw the gates of Mordor.
Good early season conditions – December 19, 2011
After seeing Erik Eisele’s report on climbing Fafnir on the 18th, it seemed like it was finally time to address some unfinished business. With a 10am meeting at the climber’s lot, Chris and I were not the first to arrive that day, but we had a nice relaxed start and no one lined up behind us at least. It was cold, but not so cold that standing around for an hour waiting for the party ahead of us to clear the 2nd belay seemed unreasonable.
The early bird gets the fresh ice… while the sleepyheads get to sit around and wait!
After starting up, we found brittle ice on the first and second pitches, and wet fat ice to top off the whole thing. Traversing through the rock traverse felt infinitely less terrifying than it was two and a half years ago, and the second pitch as a whole was one of the more enjoyable pitches of ice I’ve ever led. Topping out, darkness engulfed us, and, while descending down the climber’s path, we were treated to a great view of the lights and civilization that awaited us to the south.
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There’s nothing quite as satisfying as settling some unfinished business. Climbing the Dike as my first real ice route of the season was not something I had planned, but it was an opportunity too good to pass up. Looking up at Cannon from the Notch, I still see a dark and forbidding face, but I can’t wait to get back up there.
Santa Claus FA. "Tinsel & Mistletoe" WI 4 Somewhere Near the North Pole - Photo by Cramp!, NEice Photo Gallery
Just a quick holiday greeting as Marcia and I are about to head back up the trail with our annual Christmas Ham. Cabin visitors over the next few days may get to enjoy some left-overs! Sorry, no guarantees!
General Conditions
Conditions are improving ever so slightly. Weather is still extremely variable. For example, I enjoyed the my first frosty beard in O’Dells on Friday while climbing with HMC President Peter McCarthy. Then on Wednesday, it was a glove-less day in Pinnacle Gully. Even still, it was about the best ice I’ve climbed this season!
So, without getting into too much detail, it is slowly but surely starting to look and feel like winter on the Rockpile. Hermit Lake Caretaker Dave Weston and I were able to make about 30 linked turns on a powdery summit cone on Sunday, December 17th. As is normal, South-Easterly aspects make for nice catch, even when snow-fall is minimal. Of course, not too long after that we saw temperatures rise again along with the return of mixed and liquid precipitation.
Of course, the precipitation and relatively thin snow-pack, is making for some interesting conditions on higher-angle terrain, thus prompting the season’s first General Advisory to be posted for Tuckerman Ravine. You can read the Advisory and see recent photos taken in the Ravines at http://www.
Traction Required
As you’ve probably guessed, the unstable weather has made for some interesting trail conditions. Just short of needing to pitch-out the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, for now traction is REQUIRED! Of course, crampons will work but lighter forms of traction like Micro-spikes, Yak-Traks, Stabilicers, etc would be ideal. To be clear, the Tuckerman Ravine Trail is locked in Ice from Pinkham to Hermit Lake, so please be careful, especially with heavy packs. Exercise extra caution if you are using your crampons while traveling on hiking trails.
Harvard Cabin Registration
Just a reminder, if you are planning on staying at Harvard Cabin, registration is first come, first serve. The Harvard Cabin Register can be found at the Front-Desk at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center from 6:30 AM – 9:00 PM. After hours, 9:00 PM – 6:30 AM, you’ll find the register downstairs in the Pack-up room. Please take time to read all instructions and information and to complete the registration process. This will ensure everyone’s stay at Harvard Cabin is comfortable and enjoyable!
I’m hoping for a busy holiday week. If you’re coming up for New Years…..bring a tent, just in case it gets a little too “hot” in the cabin!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year and Happy Climbing!
Time to get this pig up the trail. See you soon,
Matt McCormick following the business part of the climb – Bayard Russell
“After an exciting afternoon on the ground dodging missiles in the south facing sun, “Pole Dance” went down. This new route at Frankenstein is right of the Bragg-Pheasant in a spot I had never seen any real ice before. The oblique afternoon sun cooled things off and we went for it. We all had a chance to lead the easy first pitch, but it was Kevin Mahoney’s turn when we finally had a chance to do the pitch that mattered.” – Bayard Russell Jr.
More at…
MattMccormickClimbing.blogspot.com
Source: Matt McCormick & Bayard Russell
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