I am trying to decide on a trip this winter and find myself wanting to give the Central Gully in Huntington a go. I would be climbing with a partner who shares a similar level of experience -which, admittedly, isn't much. Maybe its an overzealous goal:

1) We've been top roping for a couple years, recently breaking into sport climbing, so are generally comfortable with rope work. Reviewing FOTH wouldn't hurt, practicing some running belays, etc would be in order. Also practicing and testing the placement of snow pickets would happen prior to a climb.

2.) We've climbed on Mt. Washington in winter before - taking Lions Head up last February. Also, have been up in summer a couple of times. Freak weather, physical demands will not be new to us. We know how to dress for the mtn. Having been hit with 109 mph gusts up in the Garden, we dont this lightly.

3.) Navigation's solid. I'm experienced in back country navigation - using a compass and altimeter. He's an Eagle Scout. Above the Alpine Garden, we can always circumnavigate til we hit either the road or the rails.

4.) Plenty of experience with winter hiking, camping, etc. (Not directly relevant, as we won't be camping.)

***But:
1.) Only experiences with crampons and ice tools came last year on Lion's Head.
2.) No experience with placing pickets or ice screws. Have yet to actually start building a winter rack at all.


SO.. I'm hoping anyone with some experience in Huntington can share some insights.
How much does the ice bulge vary in size? Several sites seem to downplay this including SP, to the chagrin of a couple of commenters.
Is there another route or mountain you would recommend over Central/Huntington? Proximity to rental gear is important- don't own ice tools/crampons.
How different of an experience is Central compared to the steepest sections on Lions Head (we had a good, hard snow pack without much icing)?

Lastly, if there's a better place to post this, I apologize. Please redirect me.

Only been on Damnation Gully (following much more experienced ice climbers than me) so I can't really speak to the conditions in Central, although I know I would be terrified to try it if I had only used crampons once before. I'm terrified of pretty much everything though, so take that as you will. You also didn't mention anything about experience with reading avalanche terrain, which in my opinion is another strike against attempting Central or any of the gullies.

There are lots of other great winter hikes up there, all of them much less crowded than Washington, all within easy driving distance of North Conway and rental equipment at IME. Two I've really enjoyed are Mt. Adams (up Air Line trail, down Valley Way) and Mt. Lafayette (Greenleaf trail). I'm sure locals will have more suggestions.

-Chris

Central is a good choice for folks just getting into alpine climbing, but I'd be a bit nervous if I'd only worn crampons once before. Normally there's an ice bulge (rarely two) big enough to take a couple of ice screws. Screws are not hard to learn how to place, but see if you can find some ice in your back yard so you can practice getting them in quickly (see FOTH for specific advice re where to place the screw relative to your body so you can lean in on the crucial starting phase).

Avalanche forecasts are posted at the notch and at harvard cabin.

Comparing Central to LHWR is a bit deceptive, because the variability due to conditions is often greater than the difference in difficulty between these two routes. Central Gully is not difficult, but the feeling of exposure is much greater than on LHWR. Basically, if you get a little downward momentum going anywhere in the gully, you aren't going to stop until you hit the bottom of the ravine. There's basically nothing by way of natural places to stop and rest, have a snack, adjust your gear, etc. Not that you can't rest, just that you'll have to rely on your gear to secure yourself. Compared to LHWR, it's much more mentally tiring, and that often means you won't relax and you'll get physically tired too.

Above the Alpine Garden, we can always circumnavigate til we hit either the road or the rails.

I suppose that's better than wandering blindly, but only barely. Not a good plan at all. You hit bad weather topping out of the gully, you go back down the way you came! (Or perhaps, make a beeline for the Escape Hatch, for which you've previously calculated a compass bearing.) If you're not comfortable rapping on a snow picket, pick another winter activity.

Hm, have you ever rigged your own rappel before? Not much call for that in sport climbing. My nervousness level just went up.

Thanks for the suggestions on alternate climbs, Chris. Yeah, there is definitely reason for some apprehension - especially with lack of experience on crampons and with snow/ice protection. Whether we would even attempt the route would be contingent upon the right circumstances. If the guides at IME say its multi-pitch ice climbing/ exceptionally icy, more difficult than we will be finding a different route/mountain.

Let me try to ease (some of) your worries before getting into some of the finer details. First, I am not qualified to assess avalanche risks but will rely on the forecasts at Pinkham, check with IME about conditions earlier in the week, and keep an eye on weather updates. Second, the search for "road or rail" is definitely a last resort line of thinking that I don't expect to ever act on. We'll have our bearings plotted in advance for a retreat to the Escape Hatch and set elevation alarms to alert us when to reorient if visibility is low. That plans more in the event that we get hit with a sudden and intense white-out, while already on the cone. Third, we're both experienced and comfortable setting up and rappelling on vertical rocks. Never had to rap using in with snow pickets, but 45-50 deg slopes shouldn't be a problem. So if weather necessitates, we'll rap down the gully to safety.

So for the needed equipment..? I've heard an array of suggestions, but 3-4 pickets and 2 screws sound sufficient? Some accounts claim 1 ice tool is fine, but it seems intuitive that a second one adds more protection from a fall. If that's the case, I'd take a second. And general mountaineering axe(s) ok or do I need technical ice tool(s)?

I have a couple assumptions that I would like to run by you guys. First, that I will be able to place a picket and cut a step into the slope to rest. Second, that I can expect that snow conditions in February will allow for pickets to be effective protection; that belaying my partner or using a running belay should prevent a major fall.

Thanks guys.

That does make me feel better. The concern is not so much whether you'd be able to complete the route, but whether you'd be capable of surviving if something goes wrong. (And relatedly, whether you'd be able to discern that something is not right.)

Normally it's a steep snow slog, with the one ice patch. I'd prefer two tools on the ice, but one axe (with a leash) and one tool is very reasonable and will be more comfortable for most of the climb. It's been done with just one axe but I don't think that's a good option if you've not been on hard ice before.

Note that "cutting a step" more or less assumes an ice axe; an ice tool is not nearly as effective for this. Luckily, in normal conditions it's more like "stomping a step" anyway. There's no call for stopping in the middle of the ice bulge, so we're talking snow. Drive an axe (not a tool, unless conditions are really icy) deep for a snow anchor, back it up with a picket if you like, and dig a little to make a seat.

I would say 4 pickets and 2 screws are a minimum - for a snow pitch that's a 1-picket anchor at the bottom, 2 pickets along the length of the rope, 1 picket at the top. Running belays won't gain much if you have to stop and reload the leader's gear every rope-length. I'd recommend using only half the rope length so you stay closer to each other (for communication) and can have something closer to a running belay with 2 pickets in most of the time.

Belay is your backup; self-arrest is your primary. If possible, I'd spend some time in Tuckerman's Bowl getting in some practice.

The terrain is such that it may be reasonable not to place pickets at all for much of the route. It depends on your comfort level. Note that if you go un-picketed, you will want to go unroped. Arresting yourself is one thing, arresting your partner after he's built up a rope-length's worth of speed is another.

[can I] expect that snow conditions in February will allow for pickets to be effective protection[?]

Nothing is certain, but the short answer is yes. By February there is usually a very deep base, and if it's firm enough that the avvy danger is low, then it will hold a picket very well. Sometimes you get an icy crust after a rare winter rain, but it's almost unheard-of for conditions to be too icy to smash a picket through.

1) I would definitely make sure that, at the very least, you practice self-arrest before hand. It's a basic requirement for any mountaineering route, and Central Gully is exactly that - a mountaineering route with a (usually) short technical ice section.

2) You mentioned practicing placing pickets beforehand; this is good (I'd also suggest taking some nice long falls onto one - in a safe place of course). In addition, I would DEFINITELY suggest placing and removing ice screws (and equalizing them properly to make an anchor), then hanging off of them (again, in a safe place). FOTH is a good start...but...do you know first hand what a pain it can be to place a screw into hard, brittle New England ice in zub-zero temps? Do you know that your second needs to remove all the ice from the inside of the screw immediately, or else you won't be able to use it any more? Etc. I'm not trying to be condescending, just saying that there are things you'll only really appreciate from doing hands on. If you have time, I suggest going to a place like Willey's Slide in Crawford Notch to practice all this stuff. Plus, there is some low-angle ice there that will be similar (albeit a bit longer) to the terrain typically encountered in Central.

3) You mention possible alternatives. As a back-up plan in case of severe weather (or you just don't feel up for it) I might recommend Shoestring Gully on Mt. Webster. Similarly, this is a mountaineering route with primarily snow with short sections of ice of similar difficulty to Central - but, being below treeline and at much lower elevation, it doesn't have quite the same level of commitment and exposure to weather as Huntington Ravine, and escape is possible (though not necessarily pleasant or desirable) by simply going off into the trees surrounding the gully, but it still has a rather alpine feel due to the deep, inset nature of the gully. It also has a much shorter approach, in case you don't like waking up early

Good luck and be safe! It's a weird feeling to get New England nostalgia while living in Colorado, but happens sometimes...

I tried Central Gully after having successfully done Lion's head as one of my first "alpine" climbs.
I walked up to the ice bulge with only an ice axe and crampons and then balked and descended. It is a real step
and although people have been known to do it with just an axe that takes some serious skill and/or a set of brass balls.
The following season I took a 1 day intro to ice climbing class and then went back and soloed
the ice step. It is not technically difficult, NEI1, but as others have mentioned, any unprotected fall
will send you to the bottom of the gully. With basic competency using ice tools and front pointing
this is almost a walk up, but protect it based on the level of risk you feel comfortable with.

Although some people use pickets here, my general opinion of a route like this is that if you feel you need
pickets to protect a fall on 40 degree snow, you probably do not belong on this climb. For the ice step, I could
see putting in an anchor and maybe placing one screw, if for nothing else to practice on a pretty easy climb,
but this route is routinely soloed.

So my general advice is that you should get some basic instruction in ice climbing, even just through an experienced
friend, although a one day course is perfect, before attempting this route. It is a good choice for working your way up to harder climbs by practicing some basic skills.

I like you do not have formal avalanche training, but the forecasting for Huntington is very good and when in doubt I would
only climb when the danger is "low", but would not consider avalanche training a prereq to climb in Huntington provided you
are paying attention to the forecast.

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