As always, our homepage blog is a great way to see what we've been up to (for the last few years!) and what current conditions are like- as well as a great way to see what options may be available (in the archives.) You can also catch up with us on Facebook.

While there are a handful of community events across the Northeast that we are involved with each season, we continue to offer Private Guiding as our most popular option throughout the year.

The Adirondacks remain our chosen home base and favorite destination- with close access to a full spectrum of rock, ice and snow terrain- throughout four distinct seasons, in both roadside frontcountry and wilderness backountry, and with alpine-style accommodations in our small mountain town. As always, private guiding in the Adirondacks is available anytime, by advance reservation and subject to availability.

Beyond the Adirondacks: AMGA training and Certification, and professional networking with associated guides and services, also allows us access to venues all across North America: from long, multi-pitch desert sandstone classics in Red Rocks, to mixed alpine routes in the Tetons,  North Cascades and Alaska Range, to the grand ice-climbing arena of the Canadian Rockies. If there's a place you'd like to go, give us a call and we can make it happen!

2012 Winter/Spring Calendar

November-December 2011. Early season ice in the Adirondacks. Sure the days are shorter-  but early season ice climbing means plastic ice, interesting and varied conditions, fresh 'tracks,' less snow on the approaches, and fewer climbers around. Enthusiasm for a new season is a good antidote to Seasonal Affective Disorder and the holiday blues! Our intimacy and history with the local terrain allows us to sniff out the best objectives in early-season's variable conditions- and allows our guests to make the most of their day(s) out climbing before the holiday rush.

For a more 'alpine' ice and snow experience, Tuckerman's and Huntington's Ravines on the eastern side of Mt. Washington offer the most reliable and longest early-season ice in the Northeast. In fact, some of the most interesting climbing of the season can be found deep in the gullies and on the mixed rock buttresses before winter's snows bury them. Cloudsplitter is offering private guiding on Mt. Washington, at our standard daily rates, from Dec. 5-24, 2011. Summit attempts- with an earlier alpine start- are also available at our alpine/backcountry rates.

 

January, 2012. 'Ice season' in the Adirondacks kicks into high gear with a frenzy of activity before and during the holidays. Momentum carries on through the Mountaineer's Adirondack International Mountaineering Festival- aka Mountainfest, over MLK weekend (Jan. 14-15). Once again, Emilie will be leading groups clinic at the event and Jesse will be available for private guiding both days.

If you like ice climbing but want to sample a more 'recreational experience'- then consider joining Cloudsplitter for a weekend of (small group) Ice Cragging at the Ouray Ice Park in southwestern CO's majestic San Juans (Jan. 20-21 and Jan. 28-29). If you want more bang for your buck or have your eye on longer multi-pitch classics in the San Juan backcountry, then private guiding is available the week of January 22-27. (*Subject to a Guest Guide agreement with the local permitee, contact Jesse for more information.)

 

February 2012. February is the most consistent month for winter climbing in the Adirondacks and New England- with dependably cold conditions yet slightly longer days. By mid-month ('President's Week') the backcountry skiing usually comes into consistent shape, opening the door to skiing and ski-accessed mountaineering.

The Mt. Washington Valley Ice Festival is February 3-5, 2012. Emilie- with support from Outdoor Research- will once again be leading climbing clinics each day. Visit MWVIF for more information and to register.

The weekend of February 11-12, 2012, Cloudsplitter is pleased to offer our second annual  Dynafit Adirondack Ski Mountaineering Camp. Cloudsplitter Guides choose Dynafit ski equipment for long approaches that demand light weight and high efficiency, but also require technical precision on the descents and smooth transitions through climbing terrain. Click here to learn more or check out video from last year's camp.

The entire President's Week holiday (including the weekends before & after- Feb. 18-26, 2012)  is the peak of the winter holiday season in the Adirondacks. As it should be- the ice is usually fat about everywhere then, the backcountry snow is shaping up and the days are getting longer. Our schedule fills up early during this window- so get on it if you want to guarantee a reservation during that holiday!

 

March 2012. March is the climax of the winter season. Ice climbing gets friendlier as the days get warmer and sunnier and the ice starts to soften. Backcountry ski and mountaineering conditions are at their best in March- this is true not just of the Adirondacks and White Mountains but also of just about ANY mountain range in North America!

The Mountaineer is again hosting the annual Adirondack Backcountry Ski Festival  March 3-4, 2012. Cloudsplitter will be working along with other local guides and guest athletes offering two days of guided backcountry ski tours for novice, intermediate and expert backcountry skiers, a unique ski demo at the local Otis Mountain rope-tow and a buffet dinner/ evening presentation (TBD.)

March is also our busiest time of year for backcountry summit climbs and ski mountaineering, oftentimes several in a week (sometimes using snowshoes, sometimes on skis) of the Adirondack's classic mountaineering routes on Gothic's North Face and Mt. Colden's Trap Dyke. Both objectives are long days- requiring an alpine start, long approaches, efficient movement over technical terrain snow and ice terrain, and actual alpine exposure. While getting blown around above treeline on New Hampshire's Mt. Washington is often recommended as the quinessential 'training climb' for those aspiring to bigger alpine peaks like Rainier, Mt. Blanc and Denali (and admittedly this is a good character-building experience) a winter climb of the Gothic's North Face or Colden's Trap Dyke is in many respects a more challenging day and requires more technical skills than Mt. Washington's Lion's Head route.

If ice and alpine climbing is really your thing though, and you've spent the season getting up to speed and daydreaming of big ice lines when you should be at your desk working- then March is the time to head for the big leagues- the Canadian Rockies, arguably the world epicenter of ice climbing, but also a logical aspiration for an Adirondack ice climber:

As (the area's only) in the AMGA Certified Alpine and Rock Guide, Jesse and Cloudsplitter have commercial access to guide professionally in Canada. The Canadian Rockies embody a mix of very big-mountain alpine terrain in a North-American style wilderness, but also a European sensibility for alpine living in small towns, hostels and huts. Calgary is the departure point for access to options ranging from half-day ice and mixed 'cragging' to multi-pitch gully romps, roadside grade 5 pillars and thousand foot alpine classics like Polar Circus on the Icefields Parkway.
(Because Jesse will be in Roger's Pass, BC in early April for a final AMGA Ski Mountaineering Guide Exam- and full international IFMGA status) Cloudsplitter is offering private guiding in the Canadian Rockies- at our standard daily rates - from March 17- 31.This a smokin' deal on a trip to one of the grandest ice and alpine climbing venues in the world!  Contact Jesse for more information.

 

April 2012. Ski Mountaineering on Mt. Washington. The spring ski season in Mt. Washington's many ravines is legendary and offers the most accessible alpine ski mountaineering terrain in the East. As in 2011, Cloudsplitter Guides will be available for private guiding on Mt. Washington from April 14 - 29th. Join us to make the most of your last ski day(s) and end the season with an adventure.

May- Dec 2012: TBA....