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June 18, 2015
Hi Folks,
WOW, this has been a very busy week for me. 2 full days of rain (Monday & Tuesday), band gigs at Motorcycle Week in Laconia and a lot of other work that’s kept me off the cliffs and even off the bike! I definitely admit that I can get cranky when I haven’t gotten the requisite amount of exercise. Wednesday and today have been pretty nice tho, and I do have hopes for the weekend. Except of course, I have a band gig in York Beach on Saturday night that’s gong to eat into both sides of it.
I did get a short hike and bouldering session the other day that was fun. Walking around Humphreys and bouldering on the myriad rocks at the bottom is always a good thing. One particularly nice thing about the rocks there is that they are rough and it toughens up my finger tips. Now would think that they would be tough-enough since I play bass guitar for hours & hours a sweet, but in this case it seems to help. Kind of killing 2 birds with one stone.
Some friends and I have been really looking around for a new crag to put some development time on, but it’s tough. Everywhere I go I keep looking for something interesting. However, with climbing being done for more than a century in our little valley, it’s hard to find a place that hasn’t been done. I’ve spotted stuff here & there over the past couple of years, usually in the winter, but when I get right next to them there is more often than not something wrong with them - usually it’s that the rock is just too crappy. A couple of years ago I spotted what looked like a cool place on the hills near Sawyer River Road. I hiked up there via a drainage but it was mostly that crappy kind of dark rock that you find at Frankenstein. [sigh] That said occasionally something will pop up, you just have to be the first one to spot it. I’ve heard about a new spot fount recently, so I’m envious. Anyway I’m a lookin’!
Around 3 PM on Sunday there was an accident at the North End. According to reports a climber (Nicholas Mozdzierz, 25, from Somerville, MA) was near the top of Kiddy Crack (5.7) when he fell, pulling several pieces of gear, and causing him to take a ground fall. He was unconscious for 3-5 minutes, surprisingly only sustaining minor injuries. Fortunately he was wearing a helmet, which likely saved his life.
This is not the first time that someone has fallen on Kiddy Crack, or it’s adjacent sibling, Child’s Play. For a while the North End was considered a “practice” area, but this really not the case. The area is in the shade, which is nice for the heat, but not so nice for humidity. The rock on many of the climbs has an almost greasy feel to it, making what should be a moderate climb significantly more demanding. The start on Child’s Play has been known to spit out many very good climbers, including a good friend who severely injured their heel on the starting moves.
If you’re into the road bike, there isn’t a better ride in the area than the mega-classic Bear Notch Loop. Clockwise or counter-clockwise, it brings joy. For me the ride starting on the hBartlett side is my favorite. I just love the views off to the right from the 3 scenic vistas, the gradual 4 mile climb to the top and the mostly downhill ride back to West Side Road including Passaconaway Road along the river. Riding the other direction is good, but I find myself often pounding up the Kanc on the long 3% grade to Bear Notch in the sun, and I don’t find that particularly entertaining. But of course YMMV. As always be cautious out there. We’re starting to get into tourist season and people just don’t pays attention to bikes like they should.
Put this on your schedules - September 11-13. More details will come later.
Tho I haven’t personally experienced the dreaded BogCON 4, I have heard that it exists in some selected places. [wry grin] Thus I’m leaving it standing for the time being. That said, I still bring the DEET (or equivalent) when I go out in the woods. It’s the right thing to do…
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
| If you are worried about the risks in climbing take up bowling!! |
| Steve Weitzler |
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