One Day Winter Presidential Traverse

Here are some cool images from a one-day Presidential Traverse I did this weekend. My partners for the outing were Jesse and Jon, both outstanding endurance athletes (one of them is a sub 2:40 marathon runner and the other has twice gone under 10 hrs at the Ironman distance triathlon).

We left the car at the Appalachia trailhead on the north end of the range at 5 a.m. Saturday morning. The weather was good - calm wind and good visibility with high clouds. Our hope was to beat the weather arriving Saturday afternoon. The wind arrived as we summitted Mt. Washington, but remained mellow by winter standards there - gusts to 50 mph with steady winds in the 20-30 mph range.

With very little snow on the ridge we were able to make great time and avoid using snowshoes. We had one short sit-down break after 6 hours and did most of our eating and drinking on the go. Overall, the outing took us just under 12 hours with no running. That's an average of 1.4 miles an hour for 17 miles. It would be pretty easy to shave significant amounts of time off by bringing less and moving just a little faster. We wore mountain boots (a safe bet if you need to stop at all), brought full shell clothing and puffy jackets, and had a stove, snowshoes, and extra heavy gloves. Were I to do it again, I might wear heavy trail shoes, bring lighter shell gear, and ditch the stove and snowshoes. I would also bring a bit less food; I had a lot of food left over.

Mt. Madison, 7:50 am

Mt. Adams, 9:00 am

Looking toward Mt. Washington with ominous skies 

Summit, wind and snow have arrived

Mt. Eisenhower, 1:45?

Total time just under 12 hours

A lot of walking for a single day

My Polar Flow app showing approximate amount of activity

Why You Should Be Careful Ice Climbing After Rain and Warm Temperatures

I went to Poke O Moonshine on Wednesday with Silas Rossi. He'd never been there before, for rock climbing or ice climbing. We figured that we'd get at least a little climbing in despite the less than stellar forecast. As is often the case, the weather forecasters were a bit off, and it rained all night. Instead of snow there was rain, and when we arrived the cliff was running with water. Positive Thinking and the Waterfall wall, which were both in nice early season condition the day before, were decidedly "out". We checked out Neurosis, which was also on it's way "out" but is less steep, so the prospect of it falling off in one piece is much lower.

After bailing from a bolt near the top of the first pitch of Neurosis we returned to our car. While we were over at Neurosis a portion of the Waterfall wall fell off. It was easy to see the missing piece of ice.

Can you see the missing ice? Can you see the continuous fracture snaking it's way across the top? How about the two climbers at the base?

We spotted a party of two toproping the Waterfall, left of where the ice had calved off. We were amazed they were still climbing, as another substantial portion fell off while we were changing into our street clothes. As one of the climbers rappelled, we spotted a continuous fracture in the ice along the top of the Waterfall wall. We stared a bit longer then jumped in the car, heading to the Baxter Mountain Tavern for a late lunch. Just as we were leaving we spotted the party toproping the ice only feet left of the wall that had just fallen. I hope those climbers are ok.

Well, what's the takeaway? Is it that those particular climbers were foolish to be there? Maybe; I know I would not have been there. Is it that all ice climbing is unsafe when the weather is above freezing? That answer is not so simple. Most likely the right answer is going to be based on the specific weather conditions for that day. Like traveling through avalanche terrain when the risk of a slide is not uniformly "low", making decisions about safe ice climbing conditions takes good judgment. Good judgment comes from experience - you have to understand how ice behaves throughout a range of weather conditions if you're going to push your luck.

I felt like I was pushing my luck getting on Neurosis, a climb I've done before that is 2-3 ice grades below my lead limit. I think Silas did too, but we felt pressure to make the day happen because we'd driven a long way. Fortunately, both of us have a lot of winter climbing experience, and understand how ice behaves. Slab ice occasionally collapses. Often it just sits there though, getting compressed toward the ground until it gets so warm that the slab can no longer support itself. Steep ice, especially at places like the Waterfall, where the rock is free of features, supports itself. You cannot climb ice that supports itself in above-freezing weather for very long; this is asking for trouble.

The truth is, we've all been there. We ignore the forecast because it's our day off, or our client's day off if we're a guide. We drive a long way to climb, so we feel pressured to climb even though conditions are not optimal. Maybe we push the day longer than we should after it's been really warm (2 o'clock has always felt like the magic quitting time on warm days). It's never one thing that causes an accident, and myopia is often to blame.

As I've gained experience this decision has gotten easier. Most days, when conditions are like this I throw in the towel. I'll end up drinking coffee or beer somewhere with my climbing partner. Climbing always has and always will be a social activity for me, and the partner is more important than the climb. I've rescheduled guided days, only to watch my client go out with another guide and get hit by ice and take an axe to the face.

I know it's hard to throw in the towel on warm days, but erring on the conservative side is the right thing to do. You only get one chance to screw up that big, and nobody wants that to happen.

Mt. Washington in the Spring

I am an okay skier. I can ski in most backcountry areas in the northeast, but I don't make the tougher terrain look pretty. Still though, it's a pleasure to spend a day outside in the spring on skis. There's none of the stress found in ice climbing, and when you're done you can be back at your car in a few minutes. As long as it isn't dark it's not too late in the day.

I had a fun day out two weeks ago with a few north country brethren, Michael Wejchert and Bayard Russell. A few years ago I skied with Bayard and he was just learning too. He's a much better skier now, and fun to try and keep up with. Michael's just learning, but I anticipate he'll be a ringer in some time in the not so distant future. Here are a few pictures from the day.