Today the temprature hit 70 degrees here in the city and brightly colored leaves are quickly filling the ground but it's an entirely different picture on The Rockpile. Ice starts to form as early as October in Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines, and by late November quality ice conditions are almost a sure bet.
Photo: Courtesy of 2010 Mount Washington Avalanche Center
Sure signs winter is approaching -
The Mount Washington Avalanche Center reports “In mid October the mountain went through a brief shot of real winter as it usually does from year to year. This allowed the early season diehards to get out and swing the ice tools into a mixture of ice, water and rock as well as a make a few turns on the boards.”
- Mooney Mountain Guides posted some shots from the ravine on their blog
- NEICE has some pics of up of Damnation Gully
- Chauvin Guides has some beta
Looks like it's time to break out the down jacket and sharpen the ice tools.
Top 10 Ice Climbs in the NortheastBy S. Peter Lewis - October 8th, 2001
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The Northeast is blessed with the perfect winter conditions for making hundreds of great ice climbs: plenty of snow, a lot of water seeping out the ground, and cold temperatures. The area is also very diverse with everything from short drips next to the road to steep classics on the crags to long, serious climbs on real mountains. Tick off the routes on this list, and you will have sampled Northeast ice climbing at its very best.
1. Positive Thinking
Location: Pokomoonshine Cliff, Adirondack Mountains, NY
Grade: 5
Highlight: steep, dramatic, first pitch often very thin
2. Black Dike
Location: Cannon Cliff, Franconia Notch, NH
Grade: 5-
Highlight: classic hard route; historic, alpine setting
3. Cilley-Barber Route
Location: South Basin Headwall, Mount Katahdin, ME
Grade: 4
Highlight: classic long route; most remote alpine setting in the Northeast
4. Dracula
Location: Frankenstein Cliff, Crawford Notch, NH
Grade: 4
Highlight: aesthetic, steep pillars in dramatic corner
5. Last Gentleman
Location: Lake Willoughby, VT
Grade: 5
Highlight: length, beauty and an awesome amount of steep ice
6. Pinnacle Gully
Location: Huntington Ravine, Mount Washington, NH
Grade: 3
Highlight: the classic New England gully climb; very alpine
7. Repentance
Location: Cathedral Ledge, NH
Grade: 5
Highlight: three-pitch, ice-choked chimney; if you only had one route to do...
8. Standard Route
Location: Frankenstein Cliff, Crawford Notch, NH
Grade: 3+
Highlight: wonderful moderate climbing; unique cave
9. Way In The Wilderness
Location: Painted Walls, Kancamagus Highway, NH
Grade: 5
Highlight: ephemeral; on everyone's tick list, but the day has to be perfect
10. Willey's Slide
Location: Mount Willey, Crawford Notch, NH
Grade: 2
Highlight: six hundred feet of low-angled ice; the perfect long easy route
The Whites get some hype: November issue of BACKPACKER listed the Presidential Traverse as #5 on the Best Trips Ever - I have to agree June 2009 Presi Traverse
