New England Ice Climbing

Start your New Year right! Join KAF Adventures and enjoy the spectacular ice climbs of North Conway, NH.

Feb. 14th – Feb. 18th, 2013

This winter join KAF Adventures for a 5 day, unforgettable experience to one of the top ice climbing destinations in the country – New Hampshire.

Easier to get to than Ouray, Canmore, or Montana, this trip allows you the most climbing time in the most accessible terrain, for the lowest cost. New England is the ideal ice climbing destination because it provides a high concentration of ice.

Whether you are a beginner or advanced climber, exploring New England Ice is an amazing experience that will really help improve your ice climbing technique.

You will learn new skills, climb hard during the day and enjoy a comfortable nights stay.

During New England Ice Climbing week, you get to enjoy a personal KAF lodging retreat!

Honestly, what could be better after and exhilarating day of ice climbing than a cozy lodge with freshly cooked, hot meals, and community atmosphere.  If this sounds like a great mini-break for you, let KAF Adventures handle all of the logistics while you enjoy a week of ice climbing!

So what’s included in KAF’s New England Ice Climbing trip?

• Two professional guides provide instruction, top roping and multi-pitch guiding,
• Group climbing equipment
• Transportation to and from the airport
• All meals provided during the climbing days
• A comfortable stay with bunk style sleeping (upgrades available)

What do you need to provide?

Climbers need to provide:

• Personal clothing and climbing equipment
• Personal sleeping equipment (if needed)
• Money for food on travel days ($60 recommended)
• Money for entertainment and gifts (up to $300 recommended)

KAF climbing equipment is available to rent before flying to NH. The rate is $100 for the entire trip. There are also rentals available in New Hampshire for $175 for the 5 days of climbing.

What to expect on the trip?

First and foremost, you will learn ice climbing skills. Expect KAF guides to meet you where your at. Go top roping for a day or two and then try a longer ice route, there are 5 climbing days available. We will have our own vehicles and our own comfortable group bed and breakfast. KAF guides will provide meals for you and give you ample time to relax at night. This is a group experience, and we will be sharing accommodations together and making decisions about the day together. It’s your trip and we will do our best to accommodate everyone’s needs.

There are upgrades available in the accommodation. Cost is from $120 – $180 per person total. A king size bed and private room is available; and there is also another room available for with a queen size bed and a futon. All other accommodations will be “bunk” style.

What is the climbing terrain like?

Climbers living in the Northeast are very fortunate to have so much excellent climbing available during the winter months. Whether your goal is to go out and climb steep or low angle waterfall ice or do some winter mountaineering, the Mount Washington Valley and the White Mountain National Forest has an abundance of excellent terrain well-suited to your individual needs.

The New England terrain ranges from short top-rope problems, practically right next to the car, to long multi-pitch ice, alpine climbs, high-up in the mountains – and everything else in between.

Beginners and experts alike can find the winter challenge they are looking for. Take a look at the many options available in New England:

Mount Washington, at 6,288 fee,t is the highest point in the Northeast. It offers an excellent assortment of ice and alpine climbs within its ravines. Its normal route to the summit also provides an excellent and challenging introduction to winter climbing.

Tuckerman Ravine is a good source for early season ice, providing many opportunities for climbing low angle ice as early as mid November. Once the famous Headwall and surrounding gullies fill in with snow the ravine is an excellent place to go for some moderate alpine snow climbs. These are technical climbs on snow slopes and in gullies and can be as steep as 55 degrees.

Huntington Ravine begins with climbs like those in Tuckerman Ravine, but also offers longer, more difficult and more serious climbs. There’s a fine mixture of routes here. Some are all snow, some are ice, some involve some rock and others are a combination of all of the above.

Pinnacle Gully, one of the Northeast’s oldest and most sought-after ice climbs, is located in Huntington Ravine 0 as well as other classic alpine climbs like Central Gully, Yale Gully, Damnation Gully, and Odell’s. It’s about a two-hour hike from the AMC’s Hut on Route 16 in Pinkham Notchup to the start of these climbs in these two ravines.

Crawford Notch, an approximately 30 minute drive from North Conway on Route 302, also has an outstanding assortment of ice and alpine routes on both sides of the road – all with very short approaches.

Frankenstein Cliff is probably the most famous (and therefore the most popular) area in The Notch. Frankenstein has waterfall ice routes ranging from low angle and easy, to very steep and difficult. We do a lot of our steep ice climbing courses and guiding here. Classic steep ice climbs at Frankenstein include Standard Route, Pegasus, Dracula, Chia and too many others to name. The short flat approach along a railroad track and numerous fat ice climbs make this one of the best and most user-friendly places to go ice climbing in the East.

Willey’s Slide is another place in Crawford Notch where we do a lot of ice climbing. This is a big, wide, low angle ice slope a short hike uphill from a pullout on Route 302. In midseason, the bottom is full of snow, giving us a great spot to practice with our ice axes and crampons on snow techniques. Higher up the low angle ice gives us an opportunity to begin working on our ice techniques. A climb from the bottom to the top is pretty exciting with excellent views across to the Webster Cliffs on the other side of the notch. The huge glissade (fancy French word for buttslide) to get back down from the climb can be better than any amusement park ride you’ve ever been on!

Mount Willard, at the head of The Notch, also has some good ice and alpine routes. Cinema Gully, is one of the classics of the area. The steep gullies along the flank of Mount Webster provide a number of long and excellent alpine snow climbs when they are in shape.

Mentioned above are some of the more common ice climbing areas we visit during the winter. But we also visit a variety of other climbing areas too – when the conditions are right.

Champney Falls is one of these areas. It’s a pleasant 45 minute approach from the side of the Kancamagus Highway to an excellent top-rope area. Located in a narrow gorge, you have the option of climbing steep ice or steep mixed routes; all of which are easily setup from tree anchors at the top of the gorge.

The Black Dike on Canon Cliff is a famous ice and mixed route which provides more experienced climbers with a good challenge. Finally, we also make trips up to Lake Willoughby in Vermont. This area’s amazing amount of long steep ice routes, towering above Lake Willoughby, will challenge even the best ice climbers.

Can you believe how many awesome climbs there are in New England? In this relatively small area, there are more easily accessible ice climbs than any other place in the country. So let’s get out there and take advantage of it!

Our annual New England Ice Climbing trip is an excellent opportunity to gain a lot of mileage on the ice. We will help you really hone your technique – and we will have a ton of fun doing so!

For more logistical information contact us!

Cost: $1100 per person (does not include air fare) with a minimum of 4 participants

So call us now to book reserve your spot!

DATES: Feb. 14st – Feb. 18th, 2013

And if you’d like ice climbing instruction before embarking on the journey to New Hampshire, our Ice Climbing Instruction for Beginners and Intermediates course is the perfect way to begin training! 

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