Yesterday Torontonians Julia & Adam came down from Canada to attempt Mount Washington. They graciously brought with them our first real winter weather.

With a strong desire to become well outfitted and self-reliant winter climbers we spent about an hour in the morning focused on gear concerns. From face masks to ice axes we went over everything before hopping in our vehicles and heading to the trail-head.

During our climb up to the Summer Lion’s Head Trail we talked about everything from proper nutrition and layering strategies to frostbite treatment and high altitude medical issues. Adam is definitely on track to take a Wilderness First Responder course in his future.

Conditions above treeline were relatively pleasant with manageable wind chill & visibility. We pushed on to Lions Head.

Our later than average start had us reach Lion’s Head at 1:30pm. We knew we couldn’t summit and get back down the steeps before dark, so we decided to push on to the Alpine Garden Trail to get a little more time above tree-line before heading down.

We made our way back down and stopped on one of the steeper sections of the trail to learn & practice the “arm-wrap rappel”, a great way to descend 3rd & some 4th class terrain.

Julie & Adam are definitely an adventurous mother & son duo. I look forward to the next time I get to climb with them!

Each year I mark the beginning of thinking about snow with this annual workshop. I haven’t missed one yet, and each year friend and colleague Jonathan Shefftz writes a summary article for The Avalanche Review about the presenters and topics (as well as organize vendor booths and collect raffle items). This year the American Avalanche Association and Jonathan have given me permission to post his article here before it goes to print!  *All photos are mine and not part of official TAR article

Fifth Annual Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop (“ESAW”)

by Jonathan S. Shefftz

The fifth annual Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop (“ESAW”) on November 7 attracted a record of more than 225 attendees near the base of Mount Washington in New Hampshire’s Presidential Range.

This year’s ESAW was once again a collaborative effort. The organizing partners included the Snow Rangers of the USFS Mount Washington Avalanche Center led by Chris Joosen, and the Mount Washington Volunteer Ski Patrol. ESAW also once again relied on a grant from our lead sponsor the American Avalanche Association (“AAA”), led here by AAA Eastern Representative Chris Joosen, with your faithful correspondent as AAA Member Representative. Additional support came from the American Alpine Club and our headline industry sponsor Outdoor Research. Registration fee proceeds over and above hosting costs benefited the White Mountain Avalanche Education Fund, which provides avalanche education to youth of the Northeast.

ESAW 2015 kicked off the prior Friday evening with a social event hosted by the Friends of Mount Washington Avalanche Center and fueled by Smuttynose Brewery at the International Mountain Equipment shop and guide service. Then Saturday morning the avalanche presentations started up at the aptly named Grand Ballroom of the Mount Washington Hotel: famed site of the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference that established the post-WW2 international monetary order (including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank).

Although your faithful correspondent’s economics expertise pales in comparison to that of the 1944 conference’s John Maynard Keynes et al., our ESAW speaker line-up this year measured up to the best of them. Read on for proof. (And no more economics references, promise!)

Chris Joosen introduced us to our first theme of Warming. Dr. Bruce Jamieson, Professor in the Applied Snow and Avalanche Research program at the University of Calgary (along with far too many other positions and accomplishments to enumerate here), presented on “Warming of Dry Snow: Instability and Decision Making.” When Bruce offers training on this topic, the response is often, “Come back in March.” But this phenomenon can occur at any time of the season, even during otherwise wintry conditions. Assessing its potential is complicated by the lack of any direct numerical forecasts for solar radiation, as opposed to precipitation, temperature, and wind.

And if that wasn’t sufficiently technical for us, the snow science level was ratcheted up by Dr. Sam Colbeck, retired from the U.S. Army’s Cold Region Research and Engineering Laboratory (in Hanover, NH) after three decades of groundbreaking cold lab and field research in snow crystal bonding and wet grain relationships. In his fourth year of ESAW presentations, this time Sam explained to us “The Physics of Warming.” The scale varied from micrographic pictures of snow crystals to the varying effects of global climate change upon Greenland versus Antarctica.

The next theme was Communicating Avalanche Information. Don Sharaf, co-owner of the American Avalanche Institute and forecaster for Valdez Heli-Ski Guides, presented on “Communicating Avalanche Information Effectively within Operations.” Along the way, he touched on the perception of “too cold for avalanches”: a colleague once saw an avalanche at … -48F!

We were then whisked all the way from Alaska to Europe by Dr. Rudi Mair, Director of the Lawinenwarnzentrale (Avalanche Crisis Center) for the Tyrol region of Austria on the topic of “Avalanche Danger Patterns.” The “clearly predicable course of events” for most avalanches was illustrated by many incidents that concluded with variations of, “he was found clearly dead.” (The his-and-hers paragliding avalanche incident though was certainly an atypical context!)

From there we went up into the “cloud” for “The Impact of Social Media on Decision Making” presented by Jerry Isaak, Chair for the Department of Expeditionary Studies at Plattsburgh State University of New York. Although we can easily be so dismissive of selfie-stick narcissism, social media is simply the modern technological expression of the ancient human impulse to tell stories.

After the lunch table we were treated to a round table panel discussion on “Traveling into New Terrain: Responsibilities, Questions, Risk, and Making Good Decisions” moderated by Chris Joosen, with participants Bruce Jamieson, Don Sharaf, Rudi Mari, and Jerry Isaak. The most dramatic example was probably Jerry’s planned trip for this coming season with his university students to Kyrgyzstan!

We then retreated to nice safe bucolic Vermont, the neighboring Green Mountain State. But perhaps not always so safe everywhere, as Neil Van Dyke, SAR Coordinator for the Vermont Department of Public Safety, reminded us with “Avalanche Terrain of Vermont.” And this is no mere conceptual threat, as a decade earlier Neil led the response to an avalanche fatality in Vermont.

The final theme was Stability Analysis. Don Sharaf led off with the highly pertinent “Easterners Heading West on a Backcountry Ski Vacation: A Stability and Decision Approach.” Among a wealth of valuable advice he reminded us to: “Listen to the locals … but don’t necessarily trust them.” (So apologies in advance if any of us sound skeptical this coming season when soliciting beta from you!)

Then Bruce Jamieson addressed “Field Observations and Snowpack Tests: Which is Best When?” And Rudi Mair presented on “Avalanche Forecasting Operations.”

We concluded with our annual expo, including displays from reps for the American Alpine Club, Backcountry Access, Black Diamond / Pieps, Catamount Trail Association, Dynafit / Pomoca, Friends of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center, Hagan, La Sportiva, Mammut / Barryvox, and Outdoor Research (our headline industry sponsor). We raffled off donations from these companies plus the American Avalanche Association, American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education, DPS Skis, Free Range Equipment, Mountain Hardwear, MSR, Ortovox, Sterling Rope, Toko, and Voile.

In a break from tradition, instead of subsisting for the evening on scarfed-down free pretzels at the expo, we sat down for a formal dinner at the hotel. This was a memorial to Ronnie Berlack and Bryce Astle, U.S. Ski Team alpine racers who died in an avalanche only ten months ago in Austria. In addition to some other presentations, Rudi Mair delivered the keynote address on “How do we deal with avalanches and their mortal dangers when we can’t understand the risks in their whole complexity?” A U.S. Ski Team racer who was with Ronnie and Bryce at the avalanche incident addressed us via video, and was capped by a heartfelt address by U.S.

Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster and prepared remarks from U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen read by Chuck Henderson, her Special Assistant for Projects and Policy.

By far the most moving moments were a tearful address from Bryce’s mother that brought many of us to the same, plus one line in particular from Ronnie’s mother that summed up everything we are all trying to achieve:

“We want to keep you from suffering our loss.”

Jonathan Shefftz lives with his wife and mondopoint-size 18 daughter (still too small for “Tech”-compatible ski touring boots) in Western Massachusetts, where he patrols at Northfield Mountain and Mount Greylock. He is an AIARE-qualified instructor, NSP avalanche instructor, and AAA governing board member. When he is not searching out elusive freshies in Southern New England or “coaching” his daughter’s skiing (i.e., picking her up off the snow), he works as a financial economics consultant and has been qualified as an expert witness in state and federal courts. He can be reached at JShefftz@post.harvard.edu or just look for the lycra-clad skinner training for his NE Rando Race Series.

Thank you Jonathan for all that you do to further avalanche education in the East and for letting me share your article!

The following day I returned for a focused workshop “Reducing Risk and Exposure for Avalanche Workers” led by USFS Snow Ranger Chris Joosen. This 3 hour session was targeted at search and rescue groups, Fish & Game, local climbing guides, patrollers, and others who work professionally in avalanche terrain.

Towards the end Don Sharaf, co-owner of the American Avalanche Institute and forecaster for Valdez Heli-Ski Guides, laid down some impressive statistics about how many times during his 25+ year career he has had an “incident”, companion buried, near miss, burial, or died (still at zero knock on wood). This particular graph was enlightening, especially when Don talked about some of the things that cause these big drops in confidence:

It was a very productive morning and I’m hoping Chris continues this professional development session after the official ESAW next year.

Well it’s time to find your beacons and put some fresh batteries in, avalanche season is right around the corner! General Advisory’s will be posted at the Mount Washington Avalanche Center once the season really gets under way, usually no later than mid-December. I also have a few beacons I’ll be reviewing this season, and a cool outdoor survival kit review coming this Monday so stay tuned!

See you in the mountains,

NEAlpineStart

Over the years I’ve discovered one of the things I enjoy most about blogging is writing gear reviews. While this blog will still host various trip reports and “how-to” articles in the Skill Zone I’m going to start putting more effort into reviewing quality gear. 21 years in the outdoor gear industry and 11 years as a professional mountain guide have definitely given me the opportunity to form opinions on what works, and what doesn’t. Here’s a quick look at some of the products I’ll be reviewing soon:

Many of these reviews will also have some great product giveaways. Some of the “schwag” I have to give away includes ice screws, climbing knives, and foot powder. So if you are into reading about outdoor gear, and possibly winning some, consider following this blog. I’ll be posting a gear review at least twice a month.

Congratulations to Jay for winning the coolest climbing knife in the world and Ben for winning the best foot powder on earth as part of the first Outdoor App Review series.

See you in the mountains!

-NEAlpineStart

Yesterday Oliver returned fresh off his 5 day trip to Yosemite where he had bagged the iconic Royal Arches and Cathedral Peak. Next on my tick list for him back east was the Whitney Gilman Ridge, a classic east coast climb that should be on every climbers wish list!

We left Conway at 8:20am and started across the Kancamagus Highway.

About 10 miles later Oliver was telling me a story about forgetting one of the ropes after getting to Royal Arches and it dawned on me I had left our rope right next to my front door.

We left Conway at 9:00am and started across the Kancamagus Highway.

We drove north through the notch and after reversing direction pulled into the climber’s lot and checked the sign in box. No one had signed in for anything on the cliff. We filled out a trip plan for “the WG” and hopped back in the car.

I’m convinced that this climb is best approached from Lafayette Place Campground to the south despite almost every guidebook and website recommending to approach from the north climber lot. Two reasons;

First, at the end of the day when you hit the bike path you are much closer to your car and it is slightly downhill instead of slightly uphill.

Second, it’s a lot easier to be sure you’ve found the right approach trail. Many people trying to find it from the north have passed it then found the descent trail and believed it to be the approach trail. This leads to a lot of wasted time and perhaps some horrendous bushwhacking. When coming from the south you simply locate the first marked trail on the left (the descent trail), then find the next one. It also happens to be exactly .99mi if you are using any type of GPS device.

We left the car at 10:07am.

For us it was a 15 brisk walk to reach the approach trail.

We made our way up the talus field to the stunning ridge.

During our scramble I shared some of the fascinating history of the route. It is simply amazing that Bradley Gilman and Hassler Whitney pulled this route off on August 3, 1929! It has been suggested by the late climbing historian Guy Waterman that at the time of this ascent it was the hardest rock climb in the States!

It took us 52 minutes to reach the route, of which there are a few variations. I always prefer the direct start to the original line.

PITCH 1 & 2

The crux of this pitch is in the 5.6 – 5.7 range but it happens to be right off the ground trying to reach that horizontal on the right. You can get some really solid arm bars in the crack, which is featured if you reach far enough back, and you should be able to get up to that horizontal, get a good left arm bar and foot jam, and calmly place your first piece (SPOILER: .5 BD cam, clipped directly is perfect).

After that it is just really fun cruising to a nice belay ledge (140ft) with some attractive parallel cracks (often a fixed cam or two is in the left hand crack). This is an excellent place to stop to maintain easy communication, but you could push higher up if you are climbing on a 60m rope and feeling strong for the grade. (SPOILER: both cracks are fun but the right one is a little easier). I pushed on to the next ledge, technically the top of pitch 2. The options for a gear anchor on this large ledge are pretty far back from the edge which could make communication challenging as running it to here is about 55 meters. Using a method to extend yourself back to the edge of the ledge will really help with belaying your second.

While belaying Oliver up I could see our shadows being cast further down the cliff. You can easily see me at the top of the second pitch and Oliver reaching the large ledge at the top of  the first pitch:

PITCH 3

From here I usually take the 5.8 right side variation. This variation brings you up a stellar splitter jam crack to an optional small belay ledge below the slightly overhanging “North Wall”. The moves leaving the anchor here are a bit tricky but the holds are positive and after a few feet the climbing eases up just before merging with the famous Pipe Pitch at the pipe itself. I think next time I head that way I’ll try skipping the small stance and continue up the steep North Wall & Pipe Pitch. I’m pretty sure the rope will make it and drag will be minimal if you run out the easier bits at the beginning before reaching the splitter jam crack.

Today though I decide to take the original line as I hadn’t seen how rockfall from a few years ago had altered this section and I was curious how it may have changed. I also liked the idea of another belay in the sun. The climbing was pretty casual and it was easy to avoid the loose stuff by staying right towards the end of the pitch. A fixed nut & cam in the left hand crack along with some of your own gear makes for a fast anchor, and you can stare at the splitter knee eating crack while you belay thinking about how not to put your knee in it. (Spoiler: Use the right most crack and face holds on the right and never touch the knee eating crack)

Pitch 4

Oliver arrived ready for the infamous “Pipe Pitch”. This is one of my favorite pitches anywhere. You just can not beat the exposure as you pass the historic pipe and the Black Dike drops hundreds of feet below you. I realize as I’m staring down at the damp looking Black Dike that the first ice climb of the season was done 16 days ago! Check out this pic from NEIce:

No signs of ice today as I pull through the crux in a t-shirt and sunglasses.

Pitch 5

Sticking with the original line I did a quick pitch up to the small stance below the final corner. The anchor here is a bit tricky. A .75 BD Camalot placed up high in an undercling flake, combined with a knifeblade fixed pin and a small alien to the right make it happen.

Pitch 6

The moves off the anchor on this pitch are a bit funky. There’s a bit of “questionable” holds here and there (it is Cannon after all), but with a funky high-step and stretch to reach a pin higher, one move right and it’s all over. Happy cruising from there we reach the top at 2:30pm, 3.5 hours on route.

After un-roping and enjoying the view we head down the descent trail which takes a cool hour to reach the car (I really think that is faster than walking back up the bike path to the climbers lot.

Another fantastic day with Oliver! I’ve climbed a fair bit with Oliver in the last month or so and I was curious to see how much so I totaled up our 5 days of climbing we have had since our first climb on September 19th.

Day 1 Cormier-Magness, Whitehorse, first 4 pitches and Upper Refuse, Cathedral 900ft

Day 2 Standard Route, Whitehorse 1,150ft

Day 3 Thin Air, Cathedral, 3 North End Routes , 550ft

Day 4 Lakeview, Cannon Cliff, 1,100ft

Day 5 Whitney Gilman Ridge, Cannon Cliff, 600ft

4,300 feet of technical climbing in just over a month (plus a trip to Yosemite). Oliver is really getting after it! I can’t wait to get him out on some nice long ice routes this winter!

Coming Monday a review on the new EMS® Men’s Feather Pack 800 DownTek™ Hooded Jacket.

See you in the mountains,

NEAlpineStart