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girlclimb
Jan 12, 2006, 3:16 AM
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Ok so i live up in Northern New Hampshire and i am going ice climbing tommorow for the second time ever...
Right now it is raining really hard outside although it is supose to stop mid morning tommorow the temperatures are solidly in the low to mid thirtys and i hear the ice has been solid so far this year
just because i am new to all this i was just wondering what effect this rain might have on ice i know you can climb ice above freezing tempetures but what should you look out for?
thanks in advanced for the help
k
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marcdurant
Jan 12, 2006, 3:47 AM
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I live in North Conway, and I was up at Frankenstein the other day. Where are you climbing? Around here, most of the top-outs are in rough shape - rock & mud instead of ice. However, most of the big ice sheets are thick enough to handle some rain. Plus, it tends to be colder up in the notches.
I'd recommend looking out for two things: icicles and detached ice. Any big icicles will be prone to falling, especially if it's warm tomorrow. Also, lots of rain running down behind the ice will weaken the attachment to the rock, so stay on the thicker stuff. If it's only your second day you probably don't need to worry much about thin ice.
Mostly you'll just want to dress for wet weather, and bring extra gloves.
Have a great time!
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girlclimb
Jan 12, 2006, 5:07 AM
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i live in the area as well,
i believe we were thinking of hitting up frankinstien good to hear about the top outs...
ok stay with the thick stuff thats what my partner said too lol
man what i would do for some nice light snow instead of this down pour
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marcdurant
Jan 12, 2006, 8:35 PM
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Hey, let me know what it's like up there today? I'm supposed to take someone out tomorrow (Friday) and would appreciate some recent info.
Also, check your pm's.
thanks
marc
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girlclimb
Jan 13, 2006, 4:01 AM
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Marc,
We ended up going to cathedral the north end ice is in very nice and solid. We also ended up doing a little mix climbing we climbed toe crack and the start was an icy slab. It was so warm it was nice to rock climb : ). um all i know is it sounded like a jet landing as the ice kept falling off morder wall. and in alot of places that we pased you could hear / see water runnin behind the ice i donno what this means (we kept clear of any overhanging ice or place with ice overhead).... anyway i think as long as you pick your spot right the conditions can be good.
Be Safe and have fun
where are you thinking of going
oh and it was AMAZING i loved it!!
katelyn
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brent_e
Jan 13, 2006, 4:11 AM
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In reply to: Marc, We ended up going to cathedral the north end ice is in very nice and solid. We also ended up doing a little mix climbing we climbed toe crack and the start was an icy slab. It was so warm it was nice to rock climb : ). um all i know is it sounded like a jet landing as the ice kept falling off morder wall. and in alot of places that we pased you could hear / see water runnin behind the ice i donno what this means (we kept clear of any overhanging ice or place with ice overhead).... anyway i think as long as you pick your spot right the conditions can be good. Be Safe and have fun where are you thinking of going oh and it was AMAZING i loved it!! katelyn
Katelyn,
Ice is like a bad virus...once you get it it's hard to get rid of!!! congrats on getting out!
Enjoy....and don't fall
Brent
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paulraphael
Jan 13, 2006, 6:46 AM
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"just because i am new to all this i was just wondering what effect this rain might have on ice i know you can climb ice above freezing tempetures but what should you look out for? "
i know this is a day late and a dollar short but i'm going to assume you're still with us ...
rain is very very bad for ice. it will melt ice faster than 50 degree temperatures. a few hours of rain can turn a waterfall into a deathfest, even if the ice was solid enough to survive a couple of warm days. be very careful!
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girlclimb
Jan 13, 2006, 3:24 PM
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Thanks for your warning paulraphael. After hearing the ice fall off mordor wall i was very glad with the decisions we had made for the day!!
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marcdurant
Jan 13, 2006, 10:18 PM
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Just got back from Frankenstein. What ice is there was fairly solid, some hero ice but some hard stuff too. Another day of rain might drop most of the free-standing stuff, though.:cry:
I climbed the Pegasus pillars on Tuesday but now they're barely hanging in there. Mostly detached, lots of water underneath, and lots of rock showing across the top.
The big icicles and pillars on top of Standard are still there, but I wouldn't get underneath them if you paid me. Still saw a number of people on that.
Dropline is still huge and a guy with a big grin told me that Dracula was still good.
The Hanging Gardens are actually still in good shape, although most pillars aren't touched down anymore.
I didn't hear any major icefall while I was there.
Pray for cold weather!
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alpine_monk
Jan 14, 2006, 7:11 PM
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In reply to: i was just wondering what effect this rain might have on ice k |
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