Has anyone but up this way yet this year? How is it looking. Is there ice just at the top or is it pretty much ice all the way up.

I am interested in trying to put together a climb. Current plan is Feb 13, 14 or 15 or Feb 27, 28 or Mar 1 if anyone is interested.

Thanks

triyoda wrote:Has anyone but up this way yet this year? How is it looking. Is there ice just at the top or is it pretty much ice all the way up.

I am interested in trying to put together a climb. Current plan is Feb 13, 14 or 15 or Feb 27, 28 or Mar 1 if anyone is interested.

Thanks

Let me know if you're still planning something for this weekend. Going up with the GF on Saturday for Lions Head on Sun or Mon - will have a free day for local ice or ravines. Looks like we're in for a beautiful weekend - maybe too warm All others are welcome.

Sue and I will be heading in to the Harvard Cabin next Monday to climb in Huntington Ravine. Should be there all week.

i'll be up there next sat-sun

I would be up for Central on the weekend of the 28th if you decide on those dates. Hopefully this odd weather we have been having stops so we can get a solid snowpack with less avalanche danger. Advisory for Huntington's is at High again today...

Last weekend of the winter, I am thinking of going up Friday night for a Saturday climb. Anyone been up this week? Sounds like hard snow, hopefully not all ice.

I'll be there. Heading up from MD today and tonight. As of right now, my wife and I are planning on climbing Central tomorrow. Maybe I'll see you there.

Great conditions today, lots of climbers. I made it to the ice bulge about halfway up Central gully. However with no ice experience and only a mountaineering axe and crampons I backed out and did South Gully instead. About half the people were using protection for the ice bulge and the others had ice tools. A little windy in spots (50 - 60 mph winds), but not too cold and sunny and clear so all told a good day. I will be back next year to get Central gully with a better array of tools/skills.

You made the right call - that ice bulge looks gnarly enough to need more hardware. When I heard about the guy who fell down Central Gully today I wondered if it was you since you said you would be heading there. Glad it was not you but it sucks that someone did fall in the first place. Apparently he is recovering with a lot of fractures, bruising, etc.

Was there any hint of an ice bulge in South Gully? There is sometimes one right where the gully starts to turn to climber's left and steepens briefly. Sounds like you did fine though regardless of conditions.

I climb Central several times per year unroped and usually by myself. The ice bulge was negotiated easily by a buddy of mine last week with one general mtneering ax and good foot work with crampons. We summited and descended Lion Head. Perfect day would be willing to climb with anyone on that route. I will lead and you could second the pitch if you wanted to use ropes. Since I usually solo this route you carry the rope and I will lead for you. LOL

The avalanche page said there was a fall in Tuckerman's as well. I am assuming the accident in Central gully must have been after noon. I was at the bulge about 11:15, down climbed to South gully and then was in the garden by 12:30. Is there a news story on the accident? Solo climber?

Two falls apparently independent of each other. Both busted their legs but no fatalities. Woman near Left Gully; Man near Central Gully:

http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Two+hikers+hurt+sliding+on+ice+in+NH+ravines&articleId=d63244a6-de75-4020-8f93-36d55d95226a

I was right below the climber who fall and saw him slide right by me. It was a bad fall. We all headed down to him immediately, after the guide whom i was with called the rescue service.

We were there on Saturday as well. My partner's crampon/boots made snow walking too uncomfortable (while good on vertical ice, bloody blisters while walking), so the prospect of a long snow climb over on Diagonal and then a long hike out over Alpine Garden was deemed impossible so we decided to bail. While downclimbing from the base of Harvard bulge I saw the guy fall. Many climbers rushed down to help the climber despite dangerous snow conditions - the snow was very slick and inconsistent - icy hardpack for the most part with soft spots covered with hard crust - very easy to lose footing especially on a downclimb. When we hiked down the climber was splintered with trekking poles, covered with a sleeping bag and down parkas and conscious (there was a French Canadian team at the base of the ravine doing a WFA/WFR course, they had provided him first aid and were taking SOAP notes). The rescuers arrived not very long after.

From what I heard that day from other climbers who were climbing closer to the scene, the guy was climbing Central gully with two partners, decided to bail from the top of the first pitch (his partners pressed on), rapped down, lost his rope, tried to get it by glissading and lost control. It's amazing that he survived the fall as he went head over heels like a ragdoll several times - surreal site I must say. The climber's two partners I believe topped out - wonder if they didn't see their partner fall or considered downclimbing too dangerous? Didn't have a second rope to rap down?

Couple of things I came away from this accident:
1. It was nice to see so many climbers selflessly rush down to help. One party had just tied in at the base of Pinnacle and climbed down to help, and another rapped down from the top of the first pitch and climbed down. Was glad to see individual ambitions put back to help a fellow climber.
2. Besides the WFA/WFR course folks, many climbers that rushed to help seemed to be knowledgeable about wilderness first aid and rescue. If anyone is considering a class even WFA, I highly recommend. Keeping the patient warm, engaging in conversation, isolating suspected spinal cord injury - just few basics they teach in you in WFA course - that I'm sure made huge difference.
3. No matter how many times you get drilled in training or through books, it was a stark reminder that GLISSADING ON ICY PACK WITH CRAMPONS ON is a recipe for a disaster.

welle wrote:From what I heard that day from other climbers who were climbing closer to the scene, the guy was climbing Central gully with two partners, decided to bail from the top of the first pitch (his partners pressed on), rapped down, lost his rope, tried to get it by glissading and lost control.

Sorry, but this is not completely correct. I was there on Saturday and saw some really wierd things go down. The climber who fell actually was very close to topping out on the Alpine Garden. He completed three single-stranded raps to get to the bottom of the ice buldge.

The first was from the rap station at the top of Central and his rope was tied-off to the rap anchor. He had another party untie his rope once he had established himself after the first rap. I built him an anchor using pickets for the second rap, tied his rope to the anchor and then dropped his rope down to him once he was off rappel. Apparently he didn't know how to rappel because he had the rope running through one slot of the ATC and then back out the other. A couple, about 60 meters below me, rigged another anchor for him to get past the ice buldge, but this was the last party able to help. I told him to be careful once off rappel and make sure he self-belayed himself, but he didn't know what self-belay meant. He had only a mountaineering axe.

Now, I have no idea why his party would leave him, especially at the top of the climb and with his experience level. The weather was perfect and time was not an issue. When I first approached him, he complained of frozen feet and needed to get down fast. He was wearing non-insulated boots. I didn't see or hear the fall and didn't learn about it until back at IME later in the afternoon. The snowcat going to rescue him passed me on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail a couple of hours later. I hope he's alright. He was quite nervous about his feet when I was talking to him.