Mountainfest 2008: slide climbing
Despite a great start on winter (check out our archives below) a warm and wet week leading up to the Mountainfest cleared all but a few of the ice climbs. A few of the ice climbing clinics were cancelled, but a few found serviceable ice. I and fellow guide Jeremy Haas had no problem finding a good objective: we plannned on climbing a small slide near Whiteface. We'd each bring one tool, crampons, a couple stubbie screws, some slings and a short 30M rope, break into two teams of 4 and find an interesting scramble on rock, ice, snow or mud- whatever. That's the beauty of slide climbing. We actually found great ice conditions, with 700 feet of rolling verglassed slabs, neve and short stepped headwalls which with one tool 'added a little drama'- according to one enthusiastic participant. We had two great days in the mountains and got back in plenty of time to catch great slideshows at the Keene Valley 'Beaverdome' by two climbers whose understatemnt belies the intensity of their climbing- legendary British alpinist Doug Scott and Maine climber Joe Terraveccia. For more info about Mountainfest, contact the Mountaineer.
