March 23, 2016

Last Friday the father and son team (Jay and Jarod) and I reached the summit of Mt. Washington via the Lion’s Head Route. It may have been the ordinary route but this was no ordinary day. The winds were very strong with gusts over 100mph when we started climbing. Luckily the wind had died down some by the time we hit tree line and we were able to advance to the summit despite the extremely cold temperatures, stiff winds and visibility at about 50 ft. Jay and Jarod climbed like pros to the frozen summit which we had all to ourselves as all other parties on the mountain that day abandoned their summit attempt and turned around.

Two days later Justin and I climbed to the summit via Left Gully in Tuckerman’s Ravine. What a difference 48 hours made! We had a warm sunny day with perfect conditions to crampon up the gully which reaches 60 degrees in steepness. This time there were a lot of people headed to the top but our route helped us avoid the crowds.

And two days later the winds returned as Joe and I tried to reach the summit but were turned back because of winds in excess of 100mph. When we reached Lion’s Head Rock the winds were so strong that we could barely stay upright. Pushing on would have been impossible. Luckily Joe had already climbed Odell’s Gully this winter, one of the longer ice climbing routes on Mt. Washington.

It’s been a great season in the White Mountains! A few more climbs and we’ll be wrapped for the season.

Craig John

March 14, 2016

This weekend Erik, Soojin and I climbed Mt. Washington by the Lion’s Head Route. When we started for the summit the winds on top were a steady 80 mph with gusts up to 97 mph. The weather report predicted a rapid drop in the winds and we were glad that the powers that be cooperated with the meteorologists. The warm weather had melted quite a bit of snow since I was on the summit last week but there was still enough of the cold white stuff to feel like winter. The trail was icy right from the parking lot so the micro spikes we had with us came in handy before we hit the steep stuff and needed crampons. The wind was ripping up on the summit and as we approached the top it sounded like a freight train. But it’s bark was bigger than it’s bite and though it knocked us around a bit, it was only on the actual summit that we were pushed around. It was cold on top so after taking a few pictures we started our descent arriving back in the parking lot about three hours later. As usual, it was a fine day to be out in the mountains of New England.

IMG Lead Guide Craig John

 

March 7, 2016

 

This Saturday Matt, Kate and I climbed to the summit of Mt. Washington via the Lion’s Head Route. It was a bluebird day. Clear skies and almost no wind. Kate and Matt climbed like pros and completed the nine mile trip with 4000 ft of elevation gain and loss in under seven hours.

The next day Bert and I climbed to the summit via Right Gully in Tuckerman’s Ravine. It wasn’t the bluebird day we had on Saturday but it was still pretty good as there was just a little wind and the cloud that was building above the mountain never actually touched down on the summit during our climb. Bert climbed like a veteran up the steep gully and reached the summit in fine style.

We still have a few dates open in March and April so if you haven’t climbed the highest mountain in New England give us a call and reserve your spot!

IMG Guide Craig John