Well what a week it has been. It's felt a whole lot more like mid-March than mid-February, that's fo sho! On top of the weather, it's Massachusetts school vacation week, so that's made town just crazy. The traffic in town is nuts and all the stores are totally jammed. Heaven forbid you want something at the coffee or bagel shops. But that's just how our local economy functions. After all, No Co is the quintessential "tourist town".
The MWV Ice Fest is considered one of the premier climbing events in the country. For over 33 years it has provided a great opportunity for those attending to network, socialize, try new gear and participate in multiple day courses, one-day technical clinics and privately guided climbs. Don't miss it!
Feb 5 - Feb 8, 2026 in North Conway, NH.
Our Current Review
AVALANCHE DREAMS: A Memoir of Skiing, Climbing and Life
Louis Dawson describes his life in six sections with each one representing a different era of his life. The forty-three short chapters flow smoothly and keep the reader wanting to explore one more episode at each reading.
Dropline -
WI 5
The classic hard ice pitch in the Valley. A testpiece for all aspiring young ice climbers. While not always in perfect conditions, it comes in every year.
Wilderness /n./ archaic word used to refer to the space that once existed between urban areas and which is now used as a proving ground for 4-wheel drive vehicles.
—unknown
In case you weren't really believing that there is a train running!
Frankenstein trestle, Crawford Notch
Selected Ice Conditions effective February 19, 2026
Just as you would expect following Ice Fest AND a week of truly balmy temps, going to be upper 30's today, the ice can be a mixed bag. I saw someone post about how things are terrible. But digging into it, I realized they were talking about places like the North End that are very well used. It probably gets the most use of all. There are only a few places that have really easy access to moderate climbing and where you can set up a bunch of top-ropes. So that's not unexpected. And of course the climbs that are getting a lot of full sun are getting somewhat punked-out. On my way back from Wolfeboro mid-afternoon a few days ago I took a look at Rainbow Slabs which look as if they are getting pretty funky. And I watched a hunk of the bottom of Way In The Wilderness fall down! IMO it's really the time to start paying attention to what you're walking underneath, any time of the day. Enjoy this weather, but keep paying attention...
Huntington Ravine
numerous options
Repentance
iffy
Standard Route
GREAT conditions
Dracula
IN & very fat
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
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When I first began climbing I had no idea there was such a thing as climbing literature. A few years into it, I was hanging out with all these AMC types. It seemed they were all a hundred years old and knew a lot more than me. I made a fool of my self in a conversation when I admitted to not knowing who Fred Becky was
Climbing is a very dangerous sport. You can get hurt or even kill yourself. When you go climbing, you do so of your own free will. Everything on this site is to be taken with a grain of salt. Don't blame us if you get up some totally heinous route, in over your head and fall and hurt yourself.
