Ice

Ice bouldering at Champney Falls in New Hampshire.

When something is in your own backyard you tend to take it for granted, but the ice climbing in the Northeast is easily some of the best in the country. Right here in the White Mountains we have an incredible variety of frozen terrain, at varying altitudes and aspects, always leaving something in good shape.

Intro To Ice
Ice climbing is tool use, so it can be less intuitive than rock climbing. Luckily, proper technique can be easily learned; a few hours with an expert could literally save you years of trial and error. Get a good foundation in a highly imformative day, and you’ll be ready for some of the New Hampshire classics.

Guiding
The techniques required to climb ice are fairly simple, so a little experience can go a long way. It’s the leading that is the hard part. Let someone else do the work and get pitches in left and right, accompanied by a little coaching to keep you improving. From Crawford Notch’s Shoestring Gully and Standard Route to Cathedral Ledge’s world famous Repentence and Remission, whatever your goal Cathedral Mountain Guides can take you there.

Ice leader Courses
There is definitely some black magic involved in leading ice, especially steep ice. More than rock climbing, leading ice involves serious commitment. Improve your climbing technique, winter climbing’s single best defense against injury, and learn the ropes. This course can open up a whole new realm of possibilities.

Advanced Ice
There is a big leap from WI 4 to WI 5, spend a day refining your skills, learn more about efficiency and have some questions answered by an expert. Like many poeple, a busy schedule can keep you away from the mountains, making that breakthrough hard to acheive. A day devoted specifically to improving your skills can make it happen.

Classic Routes
Shoestring Gully, Mount Webster, NEI 2+
Hitchcock Gully, Mount Willard, NEI 3
Standard Route, Frankenstein, NEI 3+
Chia, Frankenstein, NEI 3+
Smear, Frankenstein, NEI 4
Dracula, Frankenstein, NEI 4
The Black Dike, Cannon Cliff, NEI 4+
Repentence, Cathedral Ledge, NEI 5
Remission, Cathedral Ledge, NEI 5+
Omega, Cannon Cliff, NEI 5+
and many others…