Which of the 4000-footers are the least popular? Some will say Hale, others will say Waumbek or Tecumseh. And many, of course, will state that Owls Head is the hated one, exclaiming that it’s a “slog” to get there. Others will claim it’s a long and not unpleasant walk in the woods proving it is a matter of perspective and that can be the result of […]
We were contacted by a NYPD-affiliated outdoor club looking to get some training for winter hiking and mountaineering skills and to take on the legendary Mt Washington — known to be the “Home of the World’s Worst Weather,” according to the Mt Washington Weather Observatory (MWOBS) — an opinion shared by many. On the job for this weekend were Redline Guides Debra McCown and Chase Hall. […]
With a spur-of-the-moment, crazy idea to do something outrageous, two friends — one from Brooklyn, New York, the other from Birmingham, Alabama — decided to take on Mt Washington. After some time training, that is. Day one was the standard fare: Winter Skills and Mountaineering Skills training. This was followed with a successful summit attempt on day two. Redline Guide Glenn Van Neil conducted the training […]
At the age of 18 they are, in the eyes of the law, adults. Inasmuch some of what youths will do in their formative years before reaching that special age is done with their parents. Sometimes, however, if what the parents want to do — or can do — and what their kids want to do aren’t compatible, alternatives must be sought. Over the past couple […]
We can plan, we can train, we can invest in an activity, and we can push ourselves really hard to win, all of which will help us succeed. But things can and do happen — unavoidable things which can impact and even destroy the best-laid-plans. Take weather, for instance, in the winter especially, it can really mess with us. Another deal breaker may result from illness […]
Combine a holiday weekend with a couple groups of people interested in experiencing Mt Washington and it can be a time as crazy as the weather on that mountain. In our case the weekend went quite smoothly — as well as can be expected, anyway. Group one signed up for our MWOBS Overnight Adventure and took part in a Mountaineering Skills class on Friday in the […]
Looking to hone her skills, a guide who seasonally works in Alaska wanted a map and compass brush-up as it had been a while since she had last received that kind of training. Currently living in Masschusetts she reached out to us for some help so we led a full day Wilderness Navigation course starting at our Basecamp. Instructing this in-depth course was Redline Guide Mike […]
Attempting a Presidential Traverse in the winter isn’t for the feint of heart. It takes planning, gear, knowledge, intestinal fortitude and, well, it takes some luck. What it doesn’t take is extreme cold, high winds, and a ton of snow and trail breaking. Those things can stress the journey to the breaking point. The team of one in this case was led by Redline Guide Will […]
We advertised it on our scheduling page as a “non-mountaineering Mt Washington hike” heading up to the summit of the Rock Pile via the Ammo. So far this year, most of the action has been on the east side of the mountain so that we didn’t have any joiners wasn’t a surprise us. Our guest, from Maine, had her guide and the mountain to herself and […]
Our two-day “Winter Mt Washington” program is very popular and for good reason. First of all the training is extremely helpful in keeping people on their feet and safe for the climb. Second of all, they look good doing it — versus that first-time-on-crampons awkwardness. It’s win-win. On this tour we had one student/guest, a 19-year-old from Connecticut. When he reached out we noted his address […]
Two days, two hikes, two mountains closer to completion of the Grid (all the 4ks every month). Though there’s not much to see here, folks — no photos on day two — but we do have a few photos below. Day one was Liberty and day two was North Twin. Both involved a lot of trail breaking so if all the summits were in the crosshairs, […]
Our guest, a young man from Ohio, had some experience tramping having hiked in the area of Mt Fuji in Japan. Next up he had his sights set on hiking in New Hampshire, testing himself in the winter White Mountains. He booked and on his form he specifically requested the Hancocks. His first “big hike,” and he wanted to hire a guide to keep him out […]
