Working on her 52 With A View list, taking on the Doubleheads in Jackson brought here two peaks (albeit just one spot) closer to the finish line for our oft-returning guest. It was a gorgeous day, sunny, clear, and unseasonably warm, almost too warm to hike. Yet, despite appearances, the deep snows on the ground told the true story: it’s spring. The team, led by Redline […]
Spring backcountry skiing is upon us. Even though snow depths are reducing in the brilliant April sunshine, there’s a ways to go. People know this, and seeing that the whole Presidential Range is in the green (denoting a low danger of avalanches at the time of this writing… see image inset (dated 4/11)), and observations of cracking or avalanching are also reducing, folks are getting after […]
For some hikers it’s Owl’s Head or Isolation. For others it’s Hale or Zealand. Seems like in almost every case there are mountains on the 4000-footers list that people simply aren’t fond of — not their favorites. In the case of Redline Guide Mike Maciel it’s the Carters: Middle, South, and the big one, Carter Dome. They’re all “The Effing Carters” to him. So, long story […]
More and more people come to us every year looking for backcountry skiing instruction and backcountry ski tours — often with teachable moments taking center stage. Many we find just want to get up there and check it out with no agenda in mind. They seek a knowing companion. With respect to avalanche, hangfire, and sliding fall hazards, we’re that companion. As backcountry skiing looks to […]
Contrary to the advice of Redline Guide Dominic Torro, one guest bailed on his planned backcountry ski tour due to iffy weather and questionable ground conditions. We get it. But another person — at the right time and place — was eager to fill the sudden void left behind. The replacement skier was less concerned about the weather and ground conditions and just wanted to get […]
The word “extremely” defines the day on many levels. It was extremely wild, yet extremely mild, all at the same time. Redline Guide Will Murphy summed it up in a message sent near the end of the day of their planned Mt Washington ascent. The short message simply read: “60+, 2deg, -33F” which we took to mean the winds were cranking at over sixty miles per […]
What began as a typical two-day Winter Mt Washington climb ended up being unintentionally extended a bit. Day one went well enough, the training being well-delivered by Redline Guide Mike Maciel. On day two, however, things were amiss. Our guest felt ill. Like ill-ill, not butterflies-in-the-tummy-ill. Ill to the point of knowing they would be unable to make their attempt (and would later be able to […]
The recent announcement from the Seasonality Division of the USDA made us panic, initially, until we realized nothing is really changing that affects us any more than we’re already being affected naturally. The reported change is simply a new naming convention which, according to the USDA/SD spokesperson, Rafael Maduro, “will better match our reality now that the effects of climate change become inarguable.” He also added, […]
It’s the time of year where winter-oriented activities like backcountry skiing overlap with warmer-weather pursuits like learning river crossing skills. And other things like glacier skills become popular, as well, as people prepare to climb western volcanos this coming season. It’s a fun time just chock full of variety. In fact we were only absent a hike and an ice climb. Oh, well. We did get […]
Ayuh, We’re Again Giving Back to the Mountain Trails we Love so Much by Literally Rolling Up Our Sleeves and Working on Them! Wanna Help? Did you know there is a specification for the construction of non-wilderness trails? If you weren’t aware, the “corridor” is meant to be 4-feet wide by 8-feet tall, with a 24-inch “tread-way” or “foot-bed.” In Federally-designated Wilderness Areas, those numbers drop […]
There’s a prominent three-mile strip of land that runs from the base to the summit of Mt Washington (6288′), like a bad scar. This 99-foot wide strip of land is owned by the Cog Railway and there you will find the tracks on which their trains run. The tracks are a handy reference feature useful for navigation on some days. Not only do the tracks form […]
This evening we will slip into the official spring season. As winter closes hiking is going to start getting harder with its inherent spring dangers and all the challenges that entails. The backcountry ski season is still going strong and will be for a while, though playing in the lower glades has pretty much reached its end. That said, the Nordic is still holding on. We […]
