A vast area devoid of ice except for its near center cliff line has an ice route with various ways to the first pitch and the upper section of ice goes right of the rock climb 'Makamah Road'.
Getting There
The way up begins on by following the stream that is the 'Cave Route'. Higher up a trail crosses this stream. This stream is the east side fire line trail. Go up right of this stream through woods and grassy, mossy snow covered slabs to a plateau. Descend the north west side of the plateau towards the stream down rocks and traverse right to open woods, it is the direct way up and sensible. The stream becomes a almost dry stream bed at a ledge ahead. It is marked with a cairn on top of a boulder but the snow has covered it. The deer use this weakness in the mountain to go up and down. Follow the stream bed until it becomes a gully. Stay on the ridge east of gully to top. At the top are the crags. Cut across below cliff line traversing up west over fallen trees and boulders and many small trees until you are in the middle highest tree line below the ledges. Doing all of this avoids the direct approach up a massive boulder filled ravine below the the ice climbing starts. Hiking down from the east side ledges, the drop off ledges are at killer height as you weave your way back to the fire line trail.
This climb goes to the summit. Its quite different from the usual Rumney ice climbing lower. Here the wind and exposure to open weather can change the conditions from ice to more snow climbed. The climb starts up a short but very hard mantle onto a snow slope. After the snow do mixed climbing up corner ramp then a snow ramp up left bypasses steep slap to the rest ledge. Here escape west and up is easily doable. Or go as I did. Traverse ascend east until reached are tool hooks on a snow ramp flak...[more]Browse More Classics in NH
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