Mount Washington

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Base Station Road, cog rail, Gulfside Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop Trail, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

All sorts of conditions out there. I parked at Ammo and walked up the road to the cog. I bare booted to the bottom of Jacob’s Ladder. Spikes would have been reasonable once above Waumbek station as the snow is consistent from there. I wore crampons past Jacob’s Ladder. While it would have been doable with spikes, it was a bit icy, and I felt more secure with crampons on the short no fall section. At the top of Jacob’s Ladder, the snow and ice all but disappear, and I bare booted to the summit of Washington and then down to Lakes. Spikes on for the rest of the hike from there. There’s still a good bit of snow on the north facing slope of Monroe, but it’s soft enough that spikes work instead of crampons. Ammo Ravine is a mess. The upper portion is postholed to s**t, but it’s also too bumpy and too rocky to use snowshoes on. It’s mostly supportive if you stay on the straight and narrow but won’t be for long. The steep portion above Gem Pool is getting pretty icy. I was OK in spikes here but think crampons will make sense this week as it cools. Below Gem Pool, it’s an increasingly receding monorail, always stable though. You probably want to bring all the traction things on Ammo for the next few days until the warm up gets going. Great day on Washy. Felt more like June in the Cascades than April in the Whites.

Parking

No issues

Water Crossings

All are open. Currently easy to cross.

Wildlife

None yet

Trails Used

Hillman's Highway, Tuckerman Ravine, Lobster Claw

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Fog below 5000ft with 50-150ft visibility during ascent. Above 5200ft had pristine clear skies with 360-degree views and 100 mile visibility. Wind 0 mph, temperature 30°F. Summit was nearly empty except for one person via Cog Railway. Fog returned on descent with whiteout conditions at ravine floor. Downclimbed Lobster Claw carefully for about 20 minutes.

Parking

Started from Pinkham Notch

Trails Used

Winter Lion Head

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Winter Lion Head is completely out for the season. Bottom half is a sheet of ice with dirt. Section above Wilcox Step is nearly impossible to downclimb - no good kicks possible even with ice axes. High avalanche danger. Extreme exposure and serious fall risk with potential 70 foot slide into Wilcox. Whiteout conditions during descent made route finding difficult.

Trails Used

Lion Head Winter Route

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Firsthand guided trip report on Lion Head Winter Route. Dirt showing at Pinkham Notch, route getting thin. Thin and icy conditions lower down, solid snow on summit after recent storms. Late 9am start. Bluebird conditions on summit with wind and frigid temps. Rime ice on summit sign. Snowpack solid enough to take direct snowfield route to summit. Descent via usual route following cairns to Split Rock. Route may soon be out for season without more snow.

Trails Used

Red Line Trail to Hermit Lakes Shelters

Trail Conditions

Notes

85-year-old hiker reached Hermit Lakes Shelters and continued toward Tuckerman Ravine Cirque. Guide Chase Hall noted consistent, non-stop pace. Trip ended due to increased sliding fall risks near the cabin. Previous visit reached only the second bridge.

Trails Used

Huntington Ravine via Central Gully

Notes

Rain began around 9-10am. Wind persisted throughout the day.

Trails Used

Tuckerman ravine, Huntington ravine rd, lion head

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Trail heading to lion head was fine, hard packed, used spikes until Lion head. The route has ice but there was a lot of exposed rock in the wilcox crux. Other sections have snow and ice. We successfully used ice axe to ascend but it was spicy. Above treeline kept crampons on to summit and for the return until after lion head trail. Take thoughtful steps, above treeline. No snowshoe needed due to temps. Heading down from summit was slower than I expected. Tricky sink holes etc.

Trails Used

Tuckerman Ravine Trail, Lion Head Winter Route

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Winter lions head in fine condition. Ice base covered with well bonded well packed snow. Crampons are the move, micro spikes are a bit underpowered for the steep ice. We used double axe technique to climb up and on the way down rappelled the steeper stretches. It's certainly possible to down climb, we passed maybe a dozen doing just that. Funny how much more snow there was than mid week, when the steeps were bare ice.

Parking

2/3 full at 8am

Water Crossings

Brooks just starting to appear under snow bridges down low, still frozen up higher