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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Another duo came to us looking for adventure, coming from the AMC’s Worcester Chapter. Specifically a Mt Washington flavored adventure. It’s but one of the many adventures that we dish out regularly, and it’s often requested. If you’re wondering why people would ask for that mountain, well, it’s the tallest mountain in the Northeast, offering rugged trails, lots of elevation gain, and some of the last […]
We mean a madness of the the best kind possible… This ended up being another one of those crazy weekends that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to cover each individual activity properly so we end up consolidating the lot in a post like this. That’s the case today, with exception to one activity, an ice climbing intro course, here’s the other stuff that […]
A returning guest — one who’s taken our mountaineering skills and intro to ice climbing courses, and more (including some alpine ice) — wanted to get back out there and just do some ice climbing on top rope. To climb some laps so as to work on the mechanics, in lieu of overcoming trepidation. To tweaking body positions, etc., working on refinement of the base skills […]
Like a fine wine or cheese, aging sometimes enhances things. This trip, for example, began over a year ago so it was at its peak of perfection. Last year they tried to ski some developed backcountry ski glades up north, but conditions were nasty. Ice and dirt — though not uncommon for the Northeast. This year Redline Guide Pat Ferland, determined to make up for last […]
The team started off at the Cog base taking advantage of the forward position to facilitate an easier entry. Our guest — a member of the Veterans on the 48 — wanted to experience some alpine action and do a winter shakedown at the same time — these, in tandem, were the primary purpose of the trip. They planned to ascend the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, maybe […]
According to the Mt Washington Avalanche Center (MWAC) the avalanche conditions were considered “High,” in the red, meaning natural avalanches are going to happen and human-triggered avalanches a certainty, overall pushing the risks to backcountry skiers and riders to the extreme. But it’s a powder day! Are we just going to sit here? We decided going in as far as we can go safely a sound […]
