March 4, 2004

Hi Folks,

I don't know about you, but I'm definitely NOT ready for ice season to be over. Sure, the warm and sunny weather makes me think about rock climbing. Of course it's really hard to stay focused on the ice when all my buds are heading out for a day at Rumney or Sundown, but I've got a couple of more items to tick off the list before I hang up the tools this year. Fortunately most of them are up in the Ravines where there actually is some good ice left to climb, and of course the hike will work off the winter flab.

Cautionary Tale of a Nervous Nellie:
On Monday my friend Toby and I zipped over to Cathedral to try and bag a last run up the Unicorn pillar above the North End cracks. While it was in the 30's when we started at about 8:30, we had no problem climbing the ice and snow up to the belay tree below the big ledge. As we climbed we did hear a huge large crash off to our left that we later determined was the lower part of the Mordor ice curtain. Not exactly a good omen! When I traversed left from the belay tree to the slab I normally use to get up to the Unicorn Ledge at the base of the climbs, I found it to be completely detached and mushy. Though I don't get any gear in it anyway, I wasn't too happy. Scrutiny of both pillars revealed that they were pouring water and occasionally dropping off small pieces of ice. Opting on the side of safety, we decided to bag it and instead found an interesting and easy alternative that wound up to the top through some small gullies, moderate mixed terrain and snow covered ice. Of course we weren't the first to take this route, as evidenced by this old sling I found.

When we walked off there were quite a number of people grabbing the end of the season on the right side on the curtains, the slab and Thresher.
We also noticed a party of 3 rock climbing Kiddy Crack. Every year I see people getting a jump on rock season and working on their crack technique in this area. While an admirable thing to do, at this time of the year you really need to be paying attention to what's up above you, both hidden and visible. In casual conversation I mentioned the pillars up above them and it was interesting that they hadn't really taken notice of the conditions above and one of the party wasn't wearing a helmut. When I climbed the Unicorn (the rightmost pillar) a week before, I was surprised to notice that the small amount of ice I knocked off fell all the way to the ground, and much further right that I would have thought. I can only imagine that either of those pillars coming down would fill the area with 500 pound blocks! In addition the big ledge up there is actually a low angle slab that will sheet-off and likely make it to the ground as well.
While this picture is from earlier in the season, you can clearly see the Birds Nest and They Died Laughing cracks. I think that it makes the point.
http://www.neclimbs.com

The Thin air face is another popular early-season area. I've been up there on a sunny day in late March with my wife when Goofer's let go. The ice and snow fell almost down to the flats and scared us both. In addition there is always ice left inside the Standard Route chimney that continues to fall out quite late in the season, as does stuff left up in the ledges above the Saigons. Here is a picture of the Thin Air taken on Wednesday.

You can see snow and ice still on the Airation ledge, directly above Thin Air and in the Standard chimney. It will take another week of warm temps of some warm rain to get rid of it all. That said, there are some places that are reasonably safe to climb in early season. Humphrey's, the South Buttress of Whitehorse, Rumney and Sundown all offer warm and reasonably safe places to get your early season fix. Here is a picture of Humphrey's taken around 1 PM Wednesday.

The left side of the cliff is totally dry. That doesn't mean that there isn't loose rock or that you won't find some running water, but it's certainly better bet than some others. At this time of the year it's also a pretty good idea to wear your helmut when you are walking along the edge of any cliff. Besides the ice, stuff has been loosened over the winter and might come down.

WORD TO THE WISE...

Crag Vermont Everest Challenge:
There will be a fundraiser on March 27th at Petra Cliffs in Burlington to raise money for the Bolton Quarry, and ice climbing area which is currently closed to climbing. Challenge participants will each ascend Petra Cliffs' climbing wall as many times as possible to attempt a group total of 29,035 feet, the height of Mt. Everest.CRAG-VT has been working diligently with the landowner to secure access, including the possibility of purchase. All this needs money. They've raised about 12k so far, but as usual fundraising is slow going. This is a great cause and we'll be talking about it more in the coming weeks. For more info go here.

Peregrine Restriction Update:
The following is from Chris Martin, Senior Biologist at New Hampshire Audubon...

On Sunday, 2/29/2004, I went to Rumney Rocks to look for the Rattlesnake Mountain peregrines. When I arrived, I quickly located one adult falcon perched at the Main Cliff, but climbing activity on the cliff was picking up and the bird flew away as 3 parties began ascending and the falcon did not return during the hour that I stayed. At one point there were 14 individuals on or at the base of the cliff. With ice off the cliff and snow melting away, I will be posting the temporary closure at this site within a week or two, as we may be looking at an early start of incubation unless winter reasserts itself soon.
Chris Martin, Senior Biologist  
Audubon Society of NH

Over the past couple of weeks I have seen and heard at least one Peregrine on Cathedral Ledge several times. With this early thaw we are likely to see them out and it's possible that there will be an early closure at Rumney and other cliffs. I will let you know as soon as I hear the details. Please respect any closing. It is really worthwhile protecting these birds.

New Routes Guidebook:
It's been over 7 years since Ed Webster's guidebook was done. While there have been a couple of select books, they haven't done much with the new routes that have gone up in the area. I am in the process of compiling a new guide of the new routes in the Mt. Washington Valley, up as far a Crawford Notch. It will also have any new ice routes that have been put up this winter. I have gone through the New Routes book that is kept at International Mountain Equipment, If you have done any routes around here that are not in the previous guides or the New Routes books, please let me know immediately. I'd like to be as complete as possible and want you to get the credit you deserve.

Please send an email with your description to al@neclimbs.com. Be sure to include a complete pitch-by-pitch description, the length of each, locations of any fixed gear, any unusual gear required, the date of the first ascent and the parties involved and if there are any access issues. If it is at a cliff or area that is new or hard to find, clear directions would be useful.

Remember - climb hard, ride the steep stuff, stay safe and above all BE NICE,