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January 17, 2019
Hi Folks,
Yet another winter storm is on the way for this weekend. [YIKES] Unlike the others so far this season, this one purports to be a REALLY big one and the scuttlebutt is somewhere between 1-2 FEET! This one's going to come in later on Saturday and wind down Monday morning. So you can certainly get in your climbing fix on Saturday.
That said, if you're up here on Sunday you might not get home on Sunday. [HA] Understand that I'm happy enough getting snow in winter, after all I live up here. But frankly 6-10" is a good amount IMNSHO. Of course that might be because I have to do all the cleanup by myself these days. [SIGH] And along the topic of snow...
In case it slipped past your consciousness, the Rangers up on the Mountain are actually government employees. Yup, those men and women who work up on our mountain providing all of us with information about the conditions up there in those lovely gullies that we all love to climb and ski in, all work for the U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - the gub'ment. And they work hard all winter at gathering data, forecasting, helping manage and assist in rescues and education. It's a big job, and right now these folks are working EVEN THO many government agencies are shut down. And I'm pretty certain they are doing it UNPAID!
"January 9, 2019: The USDA Forest Service avalanche centers are continuing to operate despite the partial government shutdown because of the critical public safety information they provide. Additionally, the Mount Washington Avalanche Center will continue to be on call as lead agency in command of search and rescue efforts in the Cutler River Drainage."
WORD... So, when you see them out there doing what they do, smile and say hi.
Wind slabs in steep terrain should remain on your radar today. Older, stubborn and large slabs plus newer but smaller wind slabs are the main avalanche concern and earn a LOW danger rating. Both wind slabs are stubborn to a human trigger, but some exceptions may exist in the form of softer pockets. All of these slabs are resting on a smooth ice crust on which the last avalanche cycle occurred. If you brave the frigid and windy weather, bring your avalanche rescue gear along with crampons and an ice axe.
http://www.mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org/
TEXT
Mark your calendars folks! Time to start thinking about ice! IT'S THE 26TH YEAR of the 2019 Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest: February 1st-3rd, 2019.
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20171122/IceFest_2019.jpg
Here are some pictures taken today. The normal ones are on Facebook and NEClimbs.
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/AngelCakes.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/BraggPheasant.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/CathedralLedge.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/CathedralLedge_middle.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/CauliflowerGully.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/Diagonal.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/Dropline_LastExit.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/ElephantHead_right.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/Frankenstein.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/LastExit.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/LHMonkeyWrench.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/MeanMistreater.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/MtWashington.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/MtWillard_upper_tier.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/MtWillard.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/Repentance_Remission.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/Shoestring.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/SnotRocket.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/trollville.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/ThinAirFace.jpg
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/Unicorn.jpg
Now that the snowmobilers are out in force, there are some interesting places to ride again. Sawyer River Road has been opened and groomed at last, and that's a great ride. You can also ride Red's Trail from the Marshall all the way over to Cathedral Ledge. A friend recently rode from the trailhead at Hemlock Lane by Walmart all the way out past the Police Station on East Conway Road, across the bridge and to where it crosses 302 near Saco Bound. This is all part of the Corridor 19 trail and is very cool. It's fine to ride these trails, but be aware of the machines coming and going and get out of their way. In addition I suggest avoiding them on weekends!
I rode up Hurricane Mountain Road on Wednesday afternoon. It was really too soft to ride, tho I did. I can usually ride 3/4 of it in the winter, but this time only probably half. [sigh] I wish I’d had time to ride to the top of Black Cap 'cause that trail was groomed and firmly packed. I saw a friend coming down as I was going up and they said the skiing was fantastic. Biking up not so much tho...
http://www.neclimbs.com/wmr_pix/20190117/Bike.jpg
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
| Why ? Why, why, why do I do this ??? |
| Chuck Pratt |
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