It was a cold morning but the sun quickly got into warming things up a bit to set the stage for an enjoyable half-day Mountaineering Skills Course. The members of the team — a dad headed to Rainier later in the year, a couple of sons, and some friends — came to us from all over the northeast: New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine. “As foretold […]
A person reached out to us about using their splitboard (a snowboard that can be formed into rudimentary skis for uphill travel, better known as skinning) in the backcountry. New to the sport, at least in the backcountry, a Backcountry Intro Course was recommended. Leading the charge on this educational adventure was Redline Guide Pat Ferland (welcome back). Pat offered an assortment of objectives to include […]
Nestled neatly between some insanely cold and windy weather and the largest snowstorm of 2026 (so far) was a window of opportunity perfect for our oft-returning Grid Getting Guest seeking Mt Monroe. The plan devised by Redline Guide Chase Hall was to ascend via the Cog tracks to Westside Trail, follow that Crawford Path to the Monroe Summit Loop, then head back to the Lakes of […]
We have found that having a training day followed by an attempt on Mt Washington is an excellent strategy, one that leads to a lot of successful climbs. In doing this our guests have a opportunity to prepare themselves, their gear, and can carry themselves well on the mountain, and on busy trails like the Lion Head Winter Route, that ability and organization affects everyone in […]
The couple hikes, lives right here in New Hampshire, and was curious about hiking Mt Washington in the winter. Upon reading Ty Gagne’s books, however, they were prompted to take this on very carefully. After doing some research it became clear they should contact us to investigate booking a guide. For this one-day half-century birthday hike — going up the Ammo and down the Cog way […]
We shared a couple of videos of our guides and guests winter hiking above treeline in some fairly inclement winter weather. One was on Franconia Ridge and the other on Mt Washington. In these videos you can hear wind and there is obviously limited visibility. It was not an extremely cold day, nor was it exceptionally windy, but even in “mild” conditions we take this environment […]
We just got done sharing part one of the adventures experienced by a family visiting from Wisconsin. As you may recall, they had tried their hand at Ice Climbing in the Flume Gorge during that part. We mentioned then that the second part of their journey was to attempt traversing Franconia Ridge. They went up Falling Waters Trail then hiked across the ridge grabbing Lincoln in […]
A returning guest who recently had a mountaineering experience with us wanted more, once again ratcheting up the challenge. This time she wanted to test herself by taking an Ice Climbing intro course. This was led by Redline Guide Glenn Van Neil and he took her to some popular spots in Crawford Notch. As reported, she did great. Here are some photos… Great job, Glenn, and […]
Coming from Wisconsin a group of repeat guests came to us to do two things: Climb some ice and to take on the classic Franconia Ridge loop. In this post we will focus on the ice climbing. On this day, in true form, mother nature made sure it was cold and windy (evident by our guests climbing in belay puffies). Despite the cold, however, the crew […]
A couple of fellows from Canada reached out with intention of climbing some steep snow in the ravines on Mt Washington. They were asking that the guide meet them at the trailhead then, after a successful day of climbing, dropping them off at the Harvard Cabin for the night while the guide headed back down. This plan, as we learned, was going to undergo a metamorphosis. […]
We spend decades living large in the years of our youth but we do age, and as time passes that aging becomes more and more apparent to us. Yet, we yearn for the glory days, hoping for more of the same. To continue, to carry on, to reach for and meet our limits. This can be hard; a challenge to us. It doesn’t get easier, as […]
The plan was to utilize Zealand Hut (open for self service in winter) to help lessen the pain of doing the Bonds. On this trip led by Redline Guide Chase Hall, our oft-returning guest working on his Grid. As a departure from the norm, here are his words to describe the trip. Bond Cliff, Bond, and West Bond with Chase Tuesday for 488/576. Ww went in […]
