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 a positive way. Conversely a lack of training and preparedness can cause for real issues, even potentially affecting the safety of everyone in the area. Leading both days of this two day program was Redline Guide Debra McCown. The first day consisted of two climbers who were going to ascend with us on the second day and two other who were just spending the afternoon learning basic mountaineering skills. If we have opening in our joinable events, we’re happy to add to the trainee count. Debra’s writeup and photos to follow:
One guest had been working toward a Mt Washington winter summit since 2022. I’d guided him before on smaller stuff that was part of his preparation. The other, who joined him for today’s climb, had had a Mt Washington winter summit on her bucket list for about 15 years. She’d flown in from Virginia for the opportunity.
Going up, they were pretty evenly matched on pace: steady and just fast enough in classic Mt Washington winter conditions to squeak by with a summit 20 minutes past my typical turnaround time. I knew they could do it. They’d worked so hard to get there. The weather was ok. I wasn’t about to turn them around so close to the top just because of an arbitrary timeline.
It was dark when they reached the bottom of the Lion Head Winter Route, and they were tired, but they had each achieved a longstanding goal! I call that a good day. —Debra
Day One: The Training Day
Day Two: The Climbing Day
