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September 6, 2012
Hi Folks,
We sure had a nice run of fall-like weather, but now with this muggy humidity it's feeling a bit more like summer again. That said, it certainly hasn't seemed to put any damper on the new-routing that's been going on. In one week I know of 4 new lines that have been put up here in the Valley, with one of them being a full length line on Whitehorse! And I'm pretty sure these 4 aren't the whole lot of 'em either. It's one thing to put up new routes in new areas, but quite another to find something worthwhile that's been hidden right in plain view. I love it when that happens.
So, here's a list of the routes that I've heard about being done just this past week, including the one I mentioned in last week's Report. I hope you'll get out there and give them a try. I'll try and post them all in the NEClimbs routes database in the next day or two.
Enjoy -
The Cormier-Magness Route - Whitehorse Ledge - 5.6
This route follows a line between Beginner’s Route and Beginner’s Easy and is a straight shot up to the head wall area before it veers to the right. The protection is generally good. Carry a standard Whitehorse rack to a #2 Camalot. Pitches 1-4 have fixed rappel stations and are set for 60 M ropes. Lead with a 60, anything shorter and you’re hosed!
We had a hoot establishing this line which promises to become a popular. All of the pitches are high quality.
1) scramble to the pine tree at the end of the first pitch of Beginner’s Route.
2) “The Wheat Thin Arete” 5.6, 190’. Step right of the tree 10’ and head up toward a bolt. Climb past a horizontal to join a thin flake. Follow the flake to an arête on the right, passing 2 more bolts to a two bolt anchor.
3) “The Cajun Washboard” 5.6, 170’. Straight up off the belay through some bulgy areas passing one bolt to a steeper wall. Move up and right passing 2 more bolts to a two bolt anchor.
4) “The Open Book” 5.6, 200’. Climb a bulge off the belay into an open book. Pass one bolt before reaching the top of the book. Protect and climb rightward through a green licheny area. Climb a short flake and hand crack up to a tree with a blue tat anchor.
5) “The Northwest Passage” 5.5, 60’. Step up and left off the belay into a giant, steep flake. Trend up and slightly right above the flake passing a small tree to a larger tree below a bulge with a horizontal.
6) “The Low Beer Light Pitch” 5.4, 180’. Use the horizontal to clear to clear the bulge. Trend slightly rightward avoiding a dirty water groove to the left. Step back left to a tree belay.
7) “The Platinum Slab” 5.5, 190’. Follow a bulgy groove to an old 1/4 bolt and a new 3/8 bolt. Trend up and left passing a faint dike aiming for a white slab and another bolt. Belay at pine tree.
8 ) "The Top Out Pitch" 5.3, 60'. Climb easy rock straight up to the top.
8/31/2012, Paul Cormier and Chris Magness. Ground-up, swapping leads.
CormeirMagness.jpg
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Wayside Attraction - Humphrey’s Ledge - 5.8 (possibly 5.9)
Approximately 35 feet
The route starts approximately 20 feet to the left (west) of the start of “Aries”, beneath a shallow overlap. This is in the Dedication Area.
Pass the overlap using a layback-mantling strategy, using good handholds behind a high flake. Follow a shallow crack up and left, then use good horizontals to gain a stance atop a block, beneath a flaring crack. Advance, using the edges of the crack, face holds, and counterpressure on the semi-detached right-hand pillar, to gain a short hand-crack behind a block. Use large square edges to pull over, and belay from a 24” oak tree. This tree is just below the start of the first pitch of Deception.
There are at least 8 good points of leader-placed protection en route. The “standard” North Conway rack of wired nuts and camming units should suffice, with the addition of a #4 (5”) Camalot, or the equivalent.
George Hurley and Michael Kahn, 9-2-2012
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Thin Line - Attitash Crag - 5.11
This is the second bolted route on the right side of the crag located on a small 100’ face. Look for an obvious chimney / shallow corner with a right angling rail at roughly 15’ (bolt). The shallow chimney and leaning oak tree marks the start of the route.
Difficult and thought-provoking moves past the first and second bolt lead to a steep and unrelenting slab protected by two bolts and gear at the midway-point.
Climb past three bolts to a vertical crack/pocket (gear up to .75) midway up the slab. Continue straight up the slab on thin but fun chips and smears to a bolt. The route continues on to a nice balcony where you can get a well deserved shake before the final moves past the last bolt to a two bolt anchor (60’)
Draws & small cams. A #1 (Red) Camelot can be placed in a slot at the beginning of the climb to protect the cruxy moves up to the first bolt. Rappel the route with a 60M rope
September, 2012 – Dave Penny, Chris Graham, Bob Ahearn
ThinLine.jpg
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Slippery When Wet 5.9 - 50'
Directions: The climb starts up between Under Toe and Shifty Eyes. There is a flat face right where you start and you can see a line of pockets starting about 16' up.
Description: Water almost always seeps out of the last pocket and down into the next to the last one, hence the name. Thus, this is a climb to be done later in the summer after a dry spell, unless you just like wet climbing. Regardless, it's a pretty cool fully trad line.
Make a boulder move up an improbable blank face to a stance. Plug gear into the first pocket, and continue up past several more. At the last pocket move up and slightly right to a ledge then step back left into the bushes to the Under Toe anchor. 50'
You'll need a standard rack #3 Camelot to green Alien, larger Tri Cams are useful
Rappel from 2-bolt anchor on Under Toe
FA: August 30, 2012 - George Hurley and Al Hospers
SlipperyWhenWet.jpg
BugCON stays at a 2. There are still some mosquitoes, tho not as many as there have been this summer. Bug dope is still recommended due to the possibility of mosquito born illnesses such as EEE and West Nile.
A three-day festival of climbing, camping, slide shows, crag stewardship,
dancing, and fun on Sept. 21-23 in North Conway, New Hampshire.
Registration is now open: festival tickets, clinic spots, and campground reservations are now available at Brown Paper Tickets.
http://www.americanalpineclub.org/p/craggin-classic#cathedral
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS:
Friday, September 21
* All-day guided climbs available at discounted rates from EMS,
IMCS, Winkler Mountain Guide, and Synnott Mountain Guides
* Post-climbing slacklining, snacks, and beverages at the beach in
Echo Lake State Park
* Evening slide shows at Zip's Pub, Cranmore Mountain Resort
* Mark Synnott and Ed Webster talk about what makes Cathedral Ledge
one of the best cliffs in the world.
* Jason Kruk, a young rising star in rock climbing and alpinism
circles, talks about his home granite in Squamish, adventures in
the Canadian Rockies, and the first "fair means" ascent of the
Southeast Ridge of Cerro Torre with the subsequent removal of the
controversial Maestri bolts
* Camping at Echo Lake State Park (campsites limited, ]pre-registration required)
Saturday, September 22
* Morning gear demos, coffee, and beach yoga at Echo Lake
* Stewardship trail-building project with the NH State Parks
* Half-day skills clinics: Self-rescue, Anchors 101, Rappelling
Systems, Multi-pitch Systems (pre-registration required)
* Post-climbing slacklining, tug-of-war contest, and beverages at the
beach in Echo Lake State Park
* Evening slide show and dance party at Zip's Pub
* Doug Scott, the legendary British climber known for pioneering
big-wall and high-altitude ascents, presents his show: Big Wall
Climbing Around the World
* DJ Mon Voyage Neon returns to North Conway to spin dance tunes
after the show
* Camping at Echo Lake State Park (campsites limited, pre-registration required)
Sunday, September 23
* Morning gear demos, coffee, and beach yoga at Echo Lake
* Kismet Cliff Run: one of New England's toughest & most
beautiful trail runs
* Half-day skills clinics: Self-rescue, Anchors 101, Rappelling
Systems, Multi-pitch Systems (pre-registration required)
The Kismet Cliff Run is one of New England's toughest and most beautiful trail runs! Enjoy twisting singletrack, brutal climbs and swooping down hills around the soaring cliffs and granite boulders of North Conway, New Hampshire. Choose the classic 5 mile course, or new this year, the 14 mile "Beast of the East" course which summits majestic North Moat Mountain.
The KCR is now a part of The American Alpine Club's "Craggin' Classic" series. Based in Echo Lake State Park, come join fellow climbers and trail runners with fun events all weekend long!
When:Sunday, September 23, 2012
To register and FMI: www.kismetcliffrun.org
Up on one of the Mount Washington Valley's finest crags and want to know what that climb you're looking at is? Or maybe you're on your way up from Boston and want to check out the Ice Report for your upcoming weekend plans. Or more likely, you're at work just want to daydream about your next adventure. Well if you have a smart phone handy, you can get to NEClimbs from anywhere you have cell service. While it doesn't offer every single feature of the site and it's not an "app", in mobile form, it does do a whole lot and is very useful. Here is the live link to the mobile version of NEClimbs:
http://www.neclimbs.com/mobile
Check it out and if you have issues on your specific phone, please feel free to let me know.
Join us and LIKE us on Facebook. I'll try and post interesting pix every Thursday and the latest Ice Report in the season, tho certainly not the whole Report. Here's where you can check it out:
http://www.facebook.com/NEClimbs/
Remember - climb hard, ride the steep stuff, stay safe and above all BE NICE,
Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire
Q - How can you tell Santa is a climbing bum?
A - He's got a beard, always wears the same clothes, and only works one day a year. |
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