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I got a note from the manager at Echo Lake State Park that the road to the top of Cathedral was opened yesterday. Good news for climbers. Passaconaway Road was opened a few days ago as well. However both Hurricane Mountain and Bear Notch Roads are not open yet. There is still much debris and some snow up on both, but hopefully soon... I have no information on Evans Notch at this time.
TRAINING THOUGHTS:
So it's the dawn, if you will, of a new season. And is so often the case, I've been hearing rumblings from folks talking about training and g getting themselves in shape for biking, hiking and rock season. Yes, rock season, which I assure you IS coming our way in spite of this seemingly late spring. And yes, in spite of the fact that it went down to 29 overnight here in the Valley folks!
There is always something new on the training horizon, and of course training regimens are very personal things. Back when I was living in Miami in the late 70's, I was running a lot of 10 K's and more. The IN thing at that time was Fartlek, which means "speed play" or "fun run". I did it a lot, but also mixed in some swimming. It worked for me at that time. Then I got into riding the road bike a lot. For that, interval training was the big thing, as was spending lots of money on lightweight components to supposedly help you climb better and go faster. I fell for it for a bit, until someone who I respected pointed out that if I gave up my beer intake for a few weeks I would shave off a pound or 2 and not need that new lightweight crankset that was going to set me back $400+. Plus overall I would just feel better. Turns out that works! About 10 years ago I went on a trip to ride the road bike in the Pyrenees, following the Tour. Of course I did my training rides, but I quit drinking for a month before I left, dropped almost 10 pounds and managed to do all the hill climbs in generally good form.
As I've gotten older, the training has become more difficult. I've personally found that a mix of things works best for me, plus training all year 'round. Needless to say YMMV, but I think it's really about finding the correct mix of the old adage - DIET AND EXERCISE... Workout but don't workout too much and watch what you eat and drink. It's a mix of climbing, do some yoga, ride the bike, stretch, do some amount of lifting, walk/hike, do planks and above all stay hydrated. I call it Cross Train, not Cross Fit!
I'm not going to climb 5.11, run marathons, or ride 2,500+ miles a year. Those days are gone. But hopefully I'm going to keep climbing 5.fun, riding the road and mountain bikes very regularly and just doing the things I want to be doing as often as possible. I believe that moderation and variety are the key. Just a thought...
PS... If you're looking for a nice toprope or beginner lead area, check out The Other Classroom at the top of Cathedral Ledge. I checked it out this morning and it's in great shape.
I can't actually say that there is nothing out there that can't be climbed. That would be foolish. But for the average, or a little above average climber, that's probably correct. That said, I did hear that there is climbable ice on Parasol in Dixville Notch. Not sure how that will be after we get a foot of heavy wet snow on Saturday. Regardless, here's a few pix I took today just to document things.
Huntington Ravine
AVALANCHE
Repentance
OUT
Standard Route
OUT
Dracula
OUT
For the full current conditions report, CLICK
HERE
pan class="reportSectionHeader">ED WEBSTER SLIDESHOW:
On Sunday, May 12, 2019 starting at 2:30 PM Ed will be presenting his Mt. Everest The Hard Way slide show at Stevens Memorial Library on 345 Main Street North Andover, Mass. FREE !! Tell your Climbing friends! May 12 will also be the 31st Anniversary of his Very-Close To The Summit Day...
VALLEY CYCLING:
This week I've ridden on both the East and West sides. The Swenson, Outer Limits and Twilight Zone trails are in very good shape right now. A little water here and there, but mostly clear and clean. The West side is another matter. The Echo Lake trails have several trees down and lots of debris. The same is true of the Ultimate Singletrack and Electric Loop. I rode the latter 2 on Wednesday and they both looked as if they had not been ridden this spring. We cleared the stuff we could, but they need a chainsaw and walk-through to be back to where they should be.
Mobile Version Of NEClimbs:
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:
Check it out and if you have issues on your specific phone, please feel free to let me know.
NEClimbs & White Mountain Report On Facebook:
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:
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.
