Mountaineering
Mt. Washington Ascents
Mount Washington is a well-known objective for mountaineers, climbers, and hikers alike. Sitting at 6,288’ Mount Washington, also known as Agiocochook, can be an amazing experience on any given day. Mt. Washington is known for its extreme weather and that’s because it's situated at an intersection where 3 major weather systems meet. Climbers and mountaineers use Mt. Washington as a training ground for bigger objectives such as Denali or Mount Rainier. Experiencing “the world’s worst weather” is one of the coolest experiences you can get here in the White Mountains. Mt. Washington once held the record wind speed on the planet clocking in at a whopping 231 MPH!
Winter ascents will be assessed via the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to the Winter Lions Head Trail. Soon we will get to the Alpine Garden before crossing back onto the Tuckerman Ravine trail to the summit. Once above treeline, we will be exposed to the elements and could encounter calm winds and bluebird skies or on the contrary, we could encounter the weather the mountain’s known for! Either way, WMG will guide you safely up and down this beautiful mountain and we will try to get you to the summit but no summit is ever guaranteed when you're mountaineering!
We will meet at 7 am at our office on the day of our summit attempt and do a gear check to ensure we are set up the best for success. Please follow our gear list and be sure to bring everything to our gear check!
Trip Details
Length: Full Day
Guide to Client Ratio: 1:4
Experience Required: Comfort with hiking is recommended but not required.
Pricing
1 Person | $400 per person
2 People | $250 per person
3 People | $225 per person
4 People | $200 per person
Price Includes All technical gear- Boots, crampons, ice axes, helmets, harnesses, ice clippers, ropes, and qualified guides.
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Part of the experience in the winter is experiencing the adverse conditions you will encounter on any given day in the alpine. Mount Washington ascents will be attempted in all conditions. Other winter activities will run according to plan given the weather. Part of a mountaineering experience is the potential of the unknowns and always having the risk of turning around before the summit. If route conditions are deemed unsafe, we will reach out with alternative plans. If weather is deteriorating drastically and there are no suitable alternatives, you may reschedule your adventure up to one year from the original date for no extra cost!
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We will do our best to follow the schedule listed, the very nature of climbing in an alpine environment requires some flexibility. With that being said, the itinerary is subject to change due to inclement weather, unsafe route conditions, and other reasons beyond the control of WMG.
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Airfare, meals on the mountain, meals off the mountain, hotel accommodations, transportation to and from venues, travel insurance, food, tip for guides, personal gear.
Notes
Rainier Prep Course
Interested in learning the fundamentals of mountaineering needed to climb Mount Rainier? Come enjoy a 3-day Rainier Prep Course with WMG with our experienced guides. This course is designed to meet your goals! We will go over numerous topics included but not limited to: ice climbing technique, knots, hitches, cramponing technique, glacier travel, winter camping, winter hiking, campsite selection, and self-arrest, just to name a few!
Trip Details
Length: 3 Days
Guide to Client Ratio: 1:4
Experience Required: No prior climbing experience is required. Hiking, climbing or mountaineering before recommended but not required.
Pricing
1 Person | $1250 per person
2 People | $875 per person
3 People | $750 per person
4 People | $650 per person
Price Includes Boots, crampons, ice axes, helmets, harnesses, ice clippers, ropes, tent*, sleeping bag*, sleeping pad*, and qualified guides.
* Limited supply. Notify WMG if you need these items as soon as possible.
Itinerary
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We will meet at our office at 7 am and run through the itinerary, sign any waiver forms, talk about goals and do a gear check to ensure everyone has the correct gear for the next few days. After the gear check, we will pack for our day trip of ice climbing and skills and drive to our venue for the day which could be Willie Slide in Crawford Notch, Cathedral Ledge, Whitehorse Ledge, or Frankenstein Cliff in Crawford Notch. WMG will pick the most appropriate location for the course.
Once at our venue, we will hike in and go over the basics of mountaineering. Our first lesson will be in cramponing technique, how to walk in crampons, and the various steps you will need to know. Afterwards we will go over basic knots and hitches associated with climbing and mountaineering. Next we will discuss ice climbing technique and how to ice climb which is a great skill to know for mountaineering. The mountains are ever changing and with climate change, you’ll never know what you will encounter. Depending on the time of the year you go for your said objective, you could encounter various conditions on route and understanding the fundamentals of ice climbing could be the limiting factor of turning around or continuing forward. We will continue our day of lessons and continue with glacier travel, how to set the rope up, store the rope and ways to mitigate risks with our team. We will shoot to be done and back in the North Conway area by 3-4 pm the latest which will give us ample time to discuss the following 2 days and what it’ll look like and it will also give you time to get any last minute supplies for our overnight.
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Day 2 will be another early meet up and we will meet at 7 am again where we will do another gear check and talk about how to properly pack a pack for mountaineering. We will drive to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center where we will begin our trek to basecamp. This hike will take anywhere from 4-6 hours. We will then set up our basecamp and talk about campsite selection, and how to winter camp. After settling into our home for the night, we will then talk about snow anchors, how to equalize snow anchors, and continue talking about glacier travel. Next on the agenda is talking about self arrest and how to safely do so. Depending on time and avalanche conditions, we might take a short trek into Tuckerman Ravine and have a few lessons there. We will then head back to camp to eat a delicious dinner and get ready for bed as our following day is yet another early wakeup and our summit attempt!
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Day 3 will begin with breakfast and coffee and then we will begin our summit attempt up to the highest peak in the Northeast, Mount Washington! Our route will be up the Winter Lions Head trail. Soon we will get to the Alpine Garden before crossing back onto the Tuckerman Ravine trail to the summit. Once above treeline, we will be exposed to the elements and could encounter calm winds and bluebird skys or on the contrary, we could encounter the weather the mountain’s known for! Either way, we will try our best to get to the summit. After we reach the summit or turn around, we will head back to basecamp, breakdown camp and begin our journey back to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. Once back, we will do a gear exchange and a quick debrief. The debrief is intended for yourself as an individual to reflect on the last 3 days and see where you saw the most improvements, where you need work, and things you wish you could change. It will also give WMG a chance to see where we can improve to continuously offer the best experience.
Notes
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Part of the experience in the winter is experiencing the adverse conditions you will encounter on any given day in the alpine. Mount Washington ascents will be attempted in all conditions. Other winter activities will run according to plan given the weather. Part of a mountaineering experience is the potential of the unknowns and always having the risk of turning around before the summit. If route conditions are deemed unsafe, we will reach out with alternative plans. If weather is deteriorating drastically and there are no suitable alternatives, you may reschedule your adventure up to one year from the original date for no extra cost!
-
We will do our best to follow the schedule listed, the very nature of climbing in an alpine environment requires some flexibility. With that being said, the itinerary is subject to change due to inclement weather, unsafe route conditions, and other reasons beyond the control of WMG.
-
Airfare, meals off the mountain, hotel accommodations, transportation to and from venues, Travel insurance, food, tip for guides, and personal gear.
Denali Prep Course
This one of a kind course will set you up best for success to have the skills needed for summitting Denali! This course will run in the winter as well as in the spring/ summer/ fall. The itinerary will look a little different from the summer and winter programs. Both will cover a host of subjects from the basics such as knots, hitches, anchors, lead climbing and techniques, cleaning gear and anchors, rappels and rappel setups, etc. This course will best set you up for success in your alpine climbing career. The overall goal of this course is to get you to be either a leader or a more competent partner on a climbing team. This course is for beginners and intermediate climbers alike or for anyone looking to elevate their climbing abilities and knowledge to summit Denali!
Trip Details
Length: 5 Days
Guide to Client Ratio: 1:3
Experience Required: Prior climbing experience is recommended but not required.
Pricing
1 person | $1600 per person
2 people | $1250 per person
3 people | $1000 per person
Price Includes Boots, crampons, ice axes, helmets, harnesses, ice clippers, ropes, tent*, sleeping bag*, and sleeping pad*, and qualified guides.
* Limited supply. Notify WMG if you need these items as soon as possible.
Winter Itinerary
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We will begin by meeting in North Conway and discuss goals, itinerary, and how the course will run and look like! After our discussion, we will take a short drive to one of the beautiful ice climbing venues we have to offer here in the area! Once at the crag, we will go over various topics. We will discuss knots, hitches, anchors, belaying, climbing technique and leading techniques just to name a few! We will wrap up the day around 3:30-4 pm which will give you plenty of time to check out our downtown, grab a beverage, or souvenir shopping for loved ones! Due to this being a winter program, there will be no camping during the first 2 nights. Please book accommodation accordingly!
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An early meetup will get us heading to our next venue to continue ice climbing and learning topics. Our objective today will be how to set up rappels, rappelling and multi pitch climbing techniques and how to multi pitch. After lunch, we will likely fire up a multi pitch climb, timing dependent. Winter unfortunately doesn’t give us enough daylight as we truly would like to have but that will be our goal for the day: rappelling and multi pitch climbing! After we climb for the day we will discuss how our next 3 days will look.
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Following breakfast, we will discuss how to properly pack a pack and begin our drive to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center where our next adventure will begin. After hiking to basecamp (Hermit Lake Shelter or Harvard Cabin), we will set up camp and discuss how to properly winter camp and ways to stay warm while in the elements. Topics to cover today will be snow anchors, glacier travel, and crevasse rescue.
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Day 4 will begin with another early morning breakfast and our objective today will be to summit Mount Washington via the Winter Lion’s Head trail and Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail. Day 4 and day 5 will be interchangeable because we will go for the summit on the better weather day! Please be understanding of this and we will try to follow the itinerary as best as we can but we can’t control the weather or mother nature!
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Following breakfast, we will discuss any topics we haven’t covered or if anyone wants more clarification on a topic! We will then break down camp and hike back down to the Visitor Center where we will have a debrief of the course and your highs and lows, takeaways, and where you think you saw the most improvements and how WMG can help you to achieve your next goals!
Summer Itinerary
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We will begin by meeting in North Conway and discuss goals, itinerary, and how the course will run and look like! After our discussion, we will take a short drive to one of the beautiful rock climbing venues we have to offer here in the area! Once at the crag, we will go over various topics. We will discuss knots, hitches, anchors, belaying, climbing technique and leading techniques just to name a few! We will wrap up the day around 4-5 pm which will give you plenty of time to check out our downtown, grab a beverage, or souvenir shopping for loved ones! We will head to our campsite and set up camp and hang for the remainder of the night.
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Another sweet day of climbing is in store! Our second day will include how to clean anchors, rappelling and how to set up rappels. Of course we will also climb! Our goal today is rappelling and how to multi pitch climb and the steps on how to do so. After lunch, we will fire up a classic multi pitch at Cathedral Ledge or Whitehorse Ledge. Again our day will conclude around 4 pm and we will discuss how to pack for our next 3 days of adventures.
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We will begin by packing up from our campsite and how to properly pack a pack. Afterwards we will have a short drive to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center where we will embark on our next adventure to our basecamp. Once at basecamp (Hermit Lake Shelter), we will set up camp, discuss Leave No Trace ethics and how we will do our best to minimize our impacts on the land we choose to recreate on. After, we will take a short hike into Tuckerman Ravine to see the beauty of Mount Washington and our classroom venue. We will then go over alpine climbing techniques and how to safely and effectively move as a team over third, fourth and low 5th class terrain. Dinner will be next on our agenda and then bed as we’ll have an early wake-up!
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An early wake up and breakfast will get us fueled for our day. Today we will climb an alpine objective. Our objective will range from summiting Mount Washington via Summer Lion’s Head trail, Tuckerman Ravine trail or via a climbing route in Huntington Ravine which would either be Henderson Buttress or Pinnacle Buttress, all condition dependent, weather dependent and group skill dependent!
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Following breakfast, we will get basecamp broken down and packed away in our packs before beginning our journey back down to the Pinkham Visitor Center. Once back at the visitor center, we will do a debrief of how the course went for you, your highs and lows, where you saw the most improvements, what you need to work on, and how WMG can help you reach your goals!
Notes
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Part of the experience in the winter is experiencing the adverse conditions you will encounter on any given day in the alpine. Mount Washington ascents will be attempted in all conditions. Other winter activities will run according to plan given the weather. Part of a mountaineering experience is the potential of the unknowns and always having the risk of turning around before the summit. If route conditions are deemed unsafe, we will reach out with alternative plans. If weather is deteriorating drastically and there are no suitable alternatives, you may reschedule your adventure up to one year from the original date for no extra cost!
-
We will do our best to follow the schedule listed, the very nature of climbing in an alpine environment requires some flexibility. With that being said, the itinerary is subject to change due to inclement weather, unsafe route conditions, and other reasons beyond the control of WMG.
-
Airfare, meals off the mountain, hotel accommodations, transportation to and from venues, Travel insurance, food, tip for guides, and personal gear.
Crevasse Rescue Course
Understanding the fundamentals and advanced techniques of crevasse rescue can make you a valuable member of your climbing team. This 2-day course will cover one of the worst-case scenarios in the big mountains….falling in a crevasse. During this 2 day course, we will go over a lot of topics including knots, hitches, glacier travel, snow anchors, crevasse rescue scenarios, hauling, and ascending.
Due to the fact we are on the east coast and don’t have actual crevasses to work with, we will have to use our imagination! The main thing with this course is that you get dialed on the skills needed to rescue someone so when a worst case scenario happens in the big mountains you will know exactly what to do!
Trip Details
Length: 2 Days
Guide to Client Ratio: 1:5
Experience Required: Prior climbing experience is recommended but not required.
Pricing
1-5 People | $575 per person
Price Includes All technical gear, boots, helmet, crampons, tent*, sleeping bag*, sleeping pad*, and qualified guides.
* Limited supply. Notify WMG if you need these items as soon as possible.
Itinerary
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Day 1 will begin as you meet your guide and do a gear check to ensure you are best set up for the course. After the gear check, we will teach you how to properly pack a pack and begin our drive to the trailhead. Now we will begin hiking to our basecamp which will be at Hermit Lake Shelter on Mount Washington. After about 15-20 minutes of hiking, we will delayer to avoid sweating through all our layers. The hike to basecamp will take anywhere from 2-4 hours. Once at basecamp, we will set up our tents and get ourselves situated before switching gears and learning to tie some specific knots that will be needed for crevasse rescue. After, we will hike into Tuckerman Ravine, avalanche condition dependent, and go over some basic snow school skills such as self arrest, cramponing, snow anchors, and glacier travel. Now comes the reason you signed up for this course! We will go over how to perform crevasse rescue with teams of 2, 3, and 4 people on a rope team. Everyone will get a chance to be hands on running the rescue. Afterwards we will trek back down to camp and cook a delicious dinner before heading to bed and waking up early!
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Day 2 will begin with an early wake up and breakfast. After we get fueled for the day, we will trek back into Tuckerman’s Ravine to get more reps in the driver’s seat! We will begin to wrap up roughly around noon and get back to camp to break down our tents and pack up before hiking back down to the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center. We will shoot to be back down and at our cars anywhere from 3:30-4 pm.
Notes
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Part of the experience in the winter is experiencing the adverse conditions you will encounter on any given day in the alpine. Mount Washington ascents will be attempted in all conditions. Other winter activities will run according to plan given the weather. Part of a mountaineering experience is the potential of the unknowns and always having the risk of turning around before the summit. If route conditions are deemed unsafe, we will reach out with alternative plans. If weather is deteriorating drastically and there are no suitable alternatives, you may reschedule your adventure up to one year from the original date for no extra cost!
-
We will do our best to follow the schedule listed, the very nature of climbing in an alpine environment requires some flexibility. With that being said, the itinerary is subject to change due to inclement weather, unsafe route conditions, and other reasons beyond the control of WMG.
-
Airfare, meals off the mountain, hotel accommodations, transportation to and from venues, Travel insurance, food, tip for guides, personal gear and cooking gear.
Custom Alpine
Climbing Trip
Contact us to book a trip!
Understanding how to alpine climb on rock, ice and snow are all great tools to add to your climbing toolbox. The White Mountains of NH have some awesome alpine objectives that we can help you to climb! Pinnacle Buttress, Pinnacle Gully, Damnation Gully, Right Gully, and Lobster Claw are just a handful of alpine climbs in Huntington Ravine alone! Crawford Notch and Franconia Notch have many more objectives too. Message us directly and let us know what objective you have in mind and WMG will create an itinerary to best help you reach your goals.
