The question: “Should hikers wear mountaineering boots in NH’s White Mountains? Well, the short answer is yes if they will be using crampons. The performance of mountaineering boots with crampons greatly exceeds the performance of hiking boots with the same crampons. The main reason is the unyielding stiffness of mountaineering boots offering the wearer superior support. This is critical to effective climbing (or hiking on trails […]
Our popular Sunshields (a brand of Buff) sold out so we ordered some more. Based on demand last year, we have two colors back in stock: red and gray. The red seems to be the most popular. Order yours today with the form below. These one-size-fits-all-teens-to-adults essential articles of clothing can be used in myriad ways by hikers, climbers, skiers, and others, from hat to balaclava, […]
During the middle of the spring season and through most of the fall — meaning the time of year when the vast majority of hikers are hitting the trails — a “three-season” or “summer” hiking pack will be used. This said, we’re reluctant to use the term “three-season” because a true “three-season” pack needs to include winter hiking essentials such as heavy layers, traction devices (like […]
It’s surprising what we can get away with… People get into trouble in the mountains for various reasons: groups split up, people get lost, weather overtakes folks, they suffer an injury, they get wet and cold, become hypothermic and stop thinking clearly, et cetera, et cetera. Suffering an injury is unavoidable. We can be very careful and take precautions, but accidents happen. The rest is obviously […]
We now have a few Redline Guiding performance t-shirts available for those who love the color red and want to flash our brand, so to speak — there’s a logo over the left breast. The shirts are Ultra Club’s “Cool and Dry” series and they fit and feel great. No cotton here because, well, you don’t want to be caught dead in one of those things. […]
There is a time and a place for both an ice axe and trekking poles in the White Mountain National Forest. That said, if ever there were a default tool to rely on, surely trekking poles would earn that distinction. The ice axe’s role in the Northeast, in general, is pretty limited. In fact, with very few exceptions, a hiker wouldn’t even consider carrying an ice […]
Should people use snowshoes on snow-covered hiking trails in the White Mountain National Forest in the winter or do without? For those who aren’t aware of it, this subject is a hotly debated topic. Every year someone will innocently ask if they should wear snowshoes and, without fail, a firestorm will ensue. Every year, that is, that people have had access to a public forum where […]
Tired of the trees, you find you’re ready to bust out of the krummholz and explore some of the summits located in the alpine zone. But you’re a little uneasy about it. You’ve heard the stories, read accounts of people’s dying days, and there before you, right next to the trail, a sign warning of the perils that can lie ahead. We won’t lie and tell […]
It is really worrisome when we see people on Mt Washington in the winter and they lack proper clothing, especially if they’re in a guided group. We wanted to make sure we’re never that group and have gone to great lengths to protect our clients from the sometimes unimaginable cold that grips that mountain and the winds that scour its barren tundra. It’s a small but […]
The “Ten Essentials” as is known to hikers young and old, first appeared in print in the third edition of Mountaineering, Freedom of the Hills, Mountaineers (January, 1974), according to Wikipedia. The original list was modified in the seventh edition, and has since undergone many modifications over the years for a variety of reasons at the hands of various groups such as the Boy Scouts of […]
