At age 15 our guest’s mother reached out hoping we could lead her son on a summit sunrise on Mt Washington. The forecast warned of very strong winds and cold temps so we told the two of them that summiting anything above treeline would be very unlikely. That said, we were willing to try knowing that at worst the experience would be out of this world […]
We love being part of the solution and helping people achieve their adventure goals. Described in this post are two days and two 4000-footers needed for winter by our guest for numbers 35 (Monroe) and 36 (Cabot) out of 48. Leading this tour was Redline Guide Mike Maciel. What follows are his word and photos. Our many-time returning guest was back again to continue chipping away […]
A couple of returning guests reached out wanting to climb some ice, to brush up on skills, and to have some fun. They got lucky in terms of the weather as temperatures were forecast to plummet, but for their day the weather was fairly mild. That said, ice climbing is one of those sports that are sometimes best appreciated after the climb, not during. You know, […]
First we had a couple reach out about taking a full day Mountaineering Skills class, and since they made their day “joinable,” we had another fellow join the party. Teaching the class was Redline Guide Pat Ferland, and as the title indicates, they spent a portion of the day at Willey’s Slide in Crawford Notch. Pat was able to grab some photos of the day… Great […]
Seems like just the day before yesterday that Redline Guide Chase Hall was out there helping our Grid-Getting Guest get the final summit of Owls Head. And it seems that way because that is exactly what they did. For many people (mere mortals) that would require a down day after. Not in this case, though: yesterday they were out there again (using Lincoln Woods Trail before […]
Our Grid-Getting Guest was at it again, this time the objective was Owls Head — his 12th and final time, now “Gridded out” as they say. We applaud the effort! For those who just got here, to “Grid” is to hike all the NH’s 4000-footers in every month of the year — a multi-year effort, usually. Leading the trip, as usual, was Redline Guide Chase Hall. […]
While some of the team was in the Northern Presidentials leading and recreating, Redline Guide Debra McCown was leading another returning guest on the famed Franconia Ridge. What follows is a short summary and photos of this amazing tour… On Tuesday, it was impossible to contain the joy. Every hiker I saw had a big, immovable smile plastered across their face. This is what happens when […]
Outstanding visibility allowed Redline Guide Chase Hall and our Grid-Gettin’ Guest to see how great the days was with Chase reporting 130 miles views (they even picked out Mt Mansfield in Vermont). Sunshine, blue skies, calm comfort, and a zillion familiar faces out there doing the same (including some of our own out there recreating in the Northern Presidentials with friends (ahem, Mike Maciel). For Chase […]
A glacier is analogue to a river of ice and snow. The “headwaters” of which are an area known as the “accumulation zone.” In this region snow piles up faster than it melts. Below this, nearing the “river delta,” so to speak, there is an area known as the “ablation zone.” In this lower region the snow melts faster than it accumulates. The demarcation of these […]
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 […]
