I’ve been seeing this climb pop up on my social media feeds a few times this season and have been looking for a chance to get up to Dixville Notch and check it out. Today was the day so last night while searching for a partner I connected with my friend AJ. He was planning on a solo romp in Huntington and mentioned Parasol felt like a far drive for “just a pitch or so of moderate ice”…

I layed on some pretty heavy partner guilt and convinced him to join me while also deciding to see how this route might compare “time-wise” to say a standard ascent of Pinnacle. With the guilt trip successful we drove by Pinkham Notch Visitor Center this morning and I hit “start” on my stop watch.

The drive up Route 16 to Gorham goes quickly, and the stretch to Berlin is quick enough though I’m always cautious there of speed traps. Waze kept us on the truck route which feels a bit slow and “residential” but as soon as you leave Berlin proper the road opens up to fast-moving-scenic-cruising and a few good conversations later found us turning on to Route 26 in Errol, NH.

This stretch is classic scenic “North Woods” type NH and has ample passing lanes to get around any slow moving logging trucks. We soon found ourselves pulling into Dixville Notch State Park about when we would probably be passing Harvard Cabin if we were hiking up to Huntington Ravine. The geography in this notch is super impressive and reminiscent of Eldorado Canyon or somewhere more “western”.

The approach to the ice was only about 7 minutes but the thin icy snow cover required crampons pretty much right after leaving the roadway. In hindsight, and with current conditions, I’d just choose to rack up at the car and clip my belay jacket to the back of my harness.

I led the first pitch choosing to stay far left on the ice flow where the ice was classic soft “hero” ice.

I ran it about 190 feet passing one v-thread to a second one just as AJ signaled I was almost out of rope (60m). A quick screw to equalize with the existing v-thread had AJ climbing and he soon passed me to lead the second pitch as I noted we would probably be reaching the base of Pinnacle at about this time.

AJ cruised the 120 or so feet to the top and we were soon coiling our ropes and heading over to a straightforward steep snow descent to climbers right of the route. Total descent took about 10-15 minutes and we were back at the car by 11:30.

Our car to car time was only about an hour and as we drove past Pinkham Notch Visitor Center on our way back home I noted it was 4 hours since we passed earlier…

While this climb is not truly “alpine” or above treeline it is in a remarkable setting! I get why it makes some lists as a “top ten NH ice climb”! Considering average hike time from Pinkham to roping up in Huntington is usually 2+ hours this is a good option for a day when you just want a good couple pitches of ice and not a lot of walking!

My gear recommendations in current “FAT” conditions:

Light ice rack (6-8 screws)

One 60m single rope <- my current favorite is the Sterling Fushion Nano IX

Even with the V-threads and fixed anchor at the top I think walking off would be a bit faster than rapping. Deeper snow might even allow for some good glissading. About half way down the descent gully look for a short side step out to a nice view point with a miniature “gendarme”!

While I feel a little guilty about pulling my friend off his more alpine objective I think we both felt the classic nature of the route justified the longer time in the car and we are both eager to explore this area more. As cool as the rock around there looks locals report that it is quite choss for the most part. It certainly looks quite different from most NH granite and I’d like to learn more about the geology in that area.

A short YouTube clip of the day:

 

If you are looking for a fun 2 pitch Grade 2+ route with a super short approach and easy descent that is unlikely to be crowded check this place out! Even if there are a couple cars in the small pullout this shouldn’t get to jammed with such a straightforward approach/descent. I’ll certainly be heading back there again!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start