Perhaps shock and awe might fit better than “surprise.” Between the “steeps” and that gnarly Mt Washington weather, our guest felt alive to say the least. This was a private two-day Winter Mt Washington program complete with a day of training followed by an exciting mountaineering experience worth noting. The alpine reward as many know, is sublime. As Redline Guide Mike Maciel put it when we […]
The plan was to take on the Willey Range for a new guest working on her NH 4000-footers. She was from Connecticut, not new to our mountains, approaching the half-way point, but didn’t want to take on the winter summits without backup. That’s where we come in. Just before the hike our guest had been visiting family down under, but felt ready to take on this […]
Noting the title of this blog post, you may be wondering how rock becomes ice. The answer is quite simply: time. Scientifically-speaking, you know this isn’t possible (right?), though geologists might argue the point, so how’s it all work? How on earth does rock become ice over time? Well, it goes something like this: A couple signs up for a rock climbing epic… but life gets […]
It’s not too hard, it’s not too soft, it’s not too hot, it’s not too cold… it’s all juuust right! A couple from New Brunswick, Canada, came to us hoping to do some winter hiking or snowshoeing. They were newer than new to the sport having no experience at all. While we do formally train people to hike, this couple opted to just get out there […]
Every now and then the impact we have on others reminds us our importance. There are stories re-told on our testimonials page that credit us in part for people getting themselves back on trail or for stopping themselves with an ice axe during a long, sliding fall. In these reminders we see how the training we offer has really done some good. Maybe saved a life […]
A returning guest came to us looking for a companion for two more winter 4000-footers. Namely they wanted Mt Isolation and Mt Carrigain. Oddly enough, these two mountains in particular seem to switch places in the winter, at least in terms of total mileage. In the winter, thanks to its added 4 mile road walk — two miles out and two miles back — Mt Carrigain […]
While we have no glaciers here in the Northeast, we do have wide, snow-covered hills that may resemble glaciated terrain… if you squint. And that’s all we need. Even for practicing crevasse rescue. Bi-angled hills, trees for self-rescue, some creative use of the landscape plays a role in our training. The training featured in this blog post was a custom combination course. The morning was our […]
Two people just spent a couple days with us. One day they did some winter and mountaineering skills training, and the next day they hiked up Mt Washington by way the Ammo. Quite a normal thing if not for the fact the objective was to take in the sunrise from the summit. And that they did. Kind of. Redline Guide Pat Ferland offered a summary of […]
An oft-returning guest came to us wanting to get the pendulum moving in a full arc once again, so to speak. Apparently it had slowed, or at least it seemed that way, and it wasn’t quite reaching the ends of its swing, a couple times now coming up short. Maybe it was quitting time. The idea was floated. But, no: “No way,” spoke the many voices. […]
They were waiting for the right day and here in the Whites, that can take a year or three. Taking Mt Isolation off the shelf now and then they’d turn it in their hands, carefully examining it, considering doing more, but then penultimately shelving it. Until this trip. So was it worth the wait? Well, according to Redline Guide Mike Maciel, yes. As Mike put it, […]
Snow has fallen in July, and in August, and in any month you may select — at least on Mt Washington. On that mountain the weather ranges from the worst humankind has ever seen to beyond spectacular. This latest trip was on the nice end of that scale. Today was sublime, amazing, and spectacular, the latter tagged as an understatement. The ascent was part of our […]
A large group came to us hoping to ascend Mt Washington. Some in the group were quite experienced, but most were being indoctrinated on-mountain (so we opted for a snowshoeing experience over a mountaineering one). All were hoping to summit, all were hoping to stay safe, all were hoping for a good time. The forecast was chilling, however, but not crazily-so. The sun would be out, […]
