What with all the crazy weather we see on Mt Washington, it’s almost a shock to the system to see a winter day such as this one. There were no blizzards, no icy downpours or thunder storms, no rime events, no hail, no avalanches, though breezy, there were no hurricane-force winds, no brutally cold temperatures, no clouds, no earthquakes or volcanos, no asteroid impacts, only limitless […]
He reached out wanting to hike Mt Washington but he had some uncertainty, which is perfectly understandable. He did have some hikes under his belt, mostly in Massachusetts and Virginia where he lived, but he wasn’t fully sure all the same. We listened then encouraged that he try anyway. There would be nothing to lose. Worst case, he’d stop short or maybe take on Mt Monroe […]
Spoiler alert: the Girl Scouts won! And so did we. The plan was to head up Mt Willard (one of those 52WAV peaks) and to check out the Crow Moon — one of the names for March’s full moon — enjoy some hot chocolate, and have a really fun adventure. Due to the visibility and precipitation forecast it was decided to err on the side of […]
We just wrapped up our first of two winter women’s only backpacking experiences for 2025 and it was a success. Learning goes further when coupled with camaraderie and that’s what these campers had. Together they lifted and supported one another. Like a team. As one guest put it: “Thanks for a great overnight, we had to shift gears and we ended up having the experience we […]
A many-time returning guest working on his Grid — which is to hike the 48, every month of the year — grabbed peak number 400 out the 576 needed to complete this daunting task. This happened on Cannon Mountain. On a day like this one, it’s less daunting, though. In fact one might struggle to whisper a complaint on such a gorgeous day as the photos […]
A returning guest who had previously done some skiing in Tuckerman Ravine with us — a teacher — wanted to again have a play day during spring break. This time they sought a different kind of adventure. This time they wanted to partake in a guided half-day hike/snowshoe. Due to the guest’s fitness level and their expectations for the day, we felt the lovely Mt Crawford […]
She told us she stalks everything White Mountains and that our business had been on her RADAR for a while. First of all, hearing this makes us feel wonderful — special — and so we’re glad she finally reached out. Her request was to do a winter hike on a 4000-footer. With which she had some experience having summited Tecumseh in winter as well as some […]
Our guest’s very experienced sixty-something mountaineering father told his son: “Take a glacier course and we will go.” He was speaking of Mt Rainier. Wanting to climb with his father, he eagerly followed his dad’s advice and started looking around at courses. It was an EMS employee who suggested he contact us for his training (we thank you, EMS). Leading the training was Redline Guide Will […]
Climbing a mountain can be tough. And even getting here can bring its own challenges if you live on an island and depend on a ferry. That’s what happened with one guest — his first attempt to get to us was thwarted by rough seas and large swells. We rescheduled him, of course. On his next try he worked around more rough weather boating by hopping […]
Two unrelated individuals came to us looking for some mountaineering skills training. Since both made their day “joinable” (private is our default), we were able to combine them saving each some money. One student is preparing to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) soon while to other is preparing the hike Colorado’s Fourteeners (mountains over 14,000 ft) beginning this summer. That we were chosen to offer […]
We love that more than half our guests come back to us time and time again. And this trip is no exception. When a many time returning guest reached out wanting to get her annual ice time, we were glad to help. On lead for this was Redline Guide Gregg Ludvigson and not only did he show our guest a great time, he helped us by […]
When we’re approached by an octogenarian half way to ninety and he tells us he’s in “great shape,” and wants the do three winter hikes in a single week, we have to remain somewhat skeptical wondering if he’s in great shape relative to his age or actually in really great shape and able to carry himself like a much younger man. Well, we were contacted by […]
