April 4, 2002

Hi folks,

Rain and snow, sun and wind, warmth and cold, we've had it all in the past couple of weeks. My flower garden has been confused and bulbs in the beds have even been coming up. As I write this paragraph on Wednesday afternoon the possible snow that was predicted hasn't materialized, and it's been raining all day. I was planning for a trip to the Ravine this morning, but decided against it. I'm certainly the drier and happier for it. The snow on the ground is melting like a piece of ice you toss in a cup of coffee to cool it down and at this rate most of the snow on the ground and the ice in the lower elevations will be gone by the end of the weekend.

Like many of you, I've been passionately holding on to this ice season for as long as I could, but now I think it is really gone down. While there may be some ice at Willie's or in a few cool dark recesses, it's time to move on with the change. Besides, there is no question that there will be water running behind any ice you find down here, and it's just not worth the potential disaster.

Hanging Garden:
I got in my final licks last Friday morning at the Hanging Garden with Brad White. Both of us only had a couple of hours to run out for a last "fix" and the word was that there was stuff to do there. Actually there was a LOT & even Scratching Ost was in. Brad also had his eye on a new mixed line that he wanted to try. While that one wouldn't go for us yet, we did manage to get up a line left of Without Reason. It wasn't new and according to Brad had been done by Doug Madera this year. Here's a picture of Brad on it.

Not having done a lot of mixed stuff, I don't have enough experience to base a judgment, but I will say that it was one of the hardest things I have ever done with ice tools in my hands. Brad said he thought it was in the M6 range. Very gymnastic and pumpy.

Everest:
I'd heard a rumor that local hard-man and cameraperson Jim Surette was on his way to Everest. Maury McKinney (IMCS) confirmed it:

"Heard from Jimmy's brother Steve today. Jim is on his way in
to base camp on Everest. It is a NOVA funded trip. He is with
Pete Athens and Barry Bishop. Not sure about intended route.
He won't be back until the end of May."

More details as they become available. Let's wish him a lot of luck and safe climbing.

Of Bugs, Routes and More:
So the ice season is coming to an end and you're probably wondering why should you continue subscribing to the White Mountain report. Well, for one thing it's the Bugs. That's right, you will definitely want to know about the State-O-The-Bugs. Each week we let you know how those pesky Black Flies and Mosquitoes are doing out there. We even give them a rating. You can check in to the NEClimbs site and even see the animated Bug-O-Meter. Of course on top of that we're always on the lookout for new and cool climbing areas to bring to your attention. 2 years ago it was the Lost Horizon Cliff off the Kanc, last year it was Humphrey's. Both are must-visit's now and we supplied you with topos and tick-lists. We have a couple of other interesting areas that we are going to report on this summer and we're sure you'll enjoy. So, even tho you don't need that up to the minute report on Dropline, we think you'll find the summer edition of the White Mountain Report useful and enjoyable. And for inspiration keep your eye on the webcam. There ARE folks out there on Thin Air, right now even!

Black Diamond Viper:
A few people have been asking me about the shiny silver tool I've been using for much of this season. Black Diamond is coming out with a new tool this next season and it's called the Viper. I am doing a review of it for Rock & Ice, so I've had one to test. The Viper is more like the Cobra than the Rage. The shaft is aluminum and it uses the same picks as the Rage & Cobra. Apparently they will be dropping the Shrike, so the Rage will become their low-end tool. Pretty darn nice for the bottom of the line. For those of you who haven't seen one, here's a picture.

Vipers weigh-in at 80 grams less than the Cobra, have a smaller handle and a little more agressive curve. When I did the M6 at Hanging Garden I had to torque the tool in a crack and completely lay-back on it. Although it was scary to do and I could feel the shaft flex a bit, it was just fine. The only negative is that you will not be able to use it as an alpine tool as it has one of those "pinky rests" on it so you can't plunge it into the neve. I personally still like the "heft" of my Cobras and the ability to use them in the mountains, but these are very nice and I'm sure that BD will have a hit on their hands.

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International Mountain Equipment
13th Annual Rental Gear
April 5th - 7th

S A L E

Save 40-70%

Now's the time to get your gear for next season. It's the annual IME Rental Gear Sale. Come up for a weekend in the Ravine or some early rock-season fun and pick up on some SUPER DEALS. There's something in this sale for almost everyone. Boots, Crampons, Axes, Ski Gear, Snowshoes, Winter Sleeping Bags, Winter Tents and a whole lot more. This is absolutely one sale you MUST make.

Mountaineering equipment:
Boots: Koflach Degre', Asolo
Mountaineering Crampons: G-12, S-12, Black Ice
Technical Crampons: Charlet Moser M-10, Black Diamond Bionic
Axes: Grivel Pamir, Charlet Moser Rando Light
Ice Tools: Quark, Rage & more
Winter Sleeping bags
Winter Tents

Ski gear:
AT & Tele skis loaded with Fritchi, Silveretta,
G3 and Riva bindings.
Transceivers, Skins, Poles and more..

Snowshoes: Tubbs, Sherpa and MSR

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER!
This sale is limited to items IN STOCK and ON HAND.
There are NO Returns, NO Rain Checks, NO Exchanges.
First Come Is First Served.
No Phone Orders until April 9th!!!!!!!

And above all - N O   W H I N I N G

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Russ Clune Speaks:
The Harvard Mountaineering Club is proud to host RUSS CLUNE as our spring speaker. The noted Gunks climber will speak and present on his travels throughout the world.

Where: Sever 113, Harvard Yard
When: Wednesday, 4/10/2002 -- 8pm
Cost: FREE!!

(Sever is to the SE of the Memorial Church)
Map: http://map.harvard.edu/level2/2Yard.shtml

Contact: Vincent Chu - vchu@fas.harvard.edu

The State-O-The-Ice:
Unless there is some fluke and we dip back into winter, this will be the last ice report for the season. There are some places still having ice, but there will definitely be bonding problems and water running behind the ice so Climber Beware. It is my strong suggestion that you DO NOT climb in the direct sun on any ice is in the lower elevations. The risk/reward ratio is just too high.

Lower elevations
Lost In The Forest bulges - In
Standard Right - Upper sections very problematic
Dracula - Shaky
Far Right Slabs - In
Willey's Slide: In

Ravines:
Tuckerman - good snow climbing
Huntington - All routes In. BEWARE of avalanches and ice dams!

OK, enough of that...

Cheers,

Al Hospers
The White Mountain Report
North Conway, New Hampshire

"There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing,
and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games."
-- Ernest Hemingway

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