George clued me in that Southwest was offering super cheap
fares ($100 RT) from Philly to Concord, NH. And on top of that they were renting
cars for like $10 a day. So we flew up for the weekend to make a winter atttempt
on Mt. Washington via the Winter Lion's Head route. We flew in Friday morning,
and since it was a beautiful day, we climbed up to the Lion's Head and then
turned around to be back by dinner time. Our only day to attempt the summit was
on Saturday, but unfortunately there was a blizzard the night before which
dumped a whole foot of snow on the surrounding area. We figured the route would
be closed so we didn't get as early a start as we should have. As it turns out
the route was open, just covered in deep snow. We made a valiant attempt but
came up short on daylight to make the summit and return before dark. I suppose
we could have gone for it, but we decided to err on the side of caution instead
of chancing it in the wintertime. It's a nice climb and not as cold as you might
think with the right layering system.
 A
bluebird day at Mt. Washington in winter |
 There
were more than a few folks at Pinkham |
 Moderate
avalanche danger? Bah! |
 Once
you get on the Lion's head winter route its time to crampon up |
 The
winter route is in the trees and surprisingly steep |
 You
can plot out you skiing at the resort across the street |
 At
the Lion's Head |
 Take
a good look at the summit. We wouldn't see it again. Too bad we didn't have
time to do it today |
 Tuckerman's
Ravine looks pretty intimidating |
 The
fox didn't seem all that concerned about avalanches |
 Extreme
avalanche danger? I scoff at danger! |
 Proving
you can sweat like a pig in a snow storm |
 Ugh, that
approach road sucks. |
 Can't
be too cold, George doesn't even need gloves |
 This
is the same pictures as the day before at the Lion's Head. Slightly
different view. See
video here |
 We
turned around 500 ft from the top at this trail junction. My face tells the
story. See video here |
 Who
wears a floppy hat in a snow storm? |
 You
can barely see the tracks I just laid down |
 It
cleared up only because the wind was howling |
 Slightly
tired back at Pinkham. |
A
bluebird day at Mt. Washington in winter
There
were more than a few folks at Pinkham
Moderate
avalanche danger? Bah!
Once
you get on the Lion's head winter route its time to crampon up
The
winter route is in the trees and surprisingly steep
You
can plot out you skiing at the resort across the street
At
the Lion's Head
Take
a good look at the summit. We wouldn't see it again. Too bad we didn't have
time to do it today
Tuckerman's
Ravine looks pretty intimidating
The
fox didn't seem all that concerned about avalanches
Extreme
avalanche danger? I scoff at danger!
Proving
you can sweat like a pig in a snow storm
Ugh, that
approach road sucks.
Can't
be too cold, George doesn't even need gloves
This
is the same pictures as the day before at the Lion's Head. Slightly
different view. See
video here
We
turned around 500 ft from the top at this trail junction. My face tells the
story. See video here
Who
wears a floppy hat in a snow storm?
You
can barely see the tracks I just laid down
It
cleared up only because the wind was howling
Slightly
tired back at Pinkham.