# 145 mph winds on Mt Washington NH



## Kingda Ka (Apr 16, 2007)

On the 16th, the winds peaked at 156mph and they were sustained in the 80's to low 100's all day. 







At this rate, hiking season in New Hampshire isn't going to start until June.


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## D-EJ915 (Apr 16, 2007)

Geez yeah, it was crazy windy here last night, sheesh.


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## Drew (Apr 16, 2007)

I love how they even bother with a wind chill - "Sure, if you were up here you'd probably get blown off the summit, but while you were getting blown off, it'd feel -5 degrees farenheight.


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 20, 2007)

If you go to the summit there is a list of all who have perished on this mountain. Many of them are from falls, hypothermia, and avalanches, but the ones that I think are the most ominous are the ones who simply vanished after leaving the summit buildings.

One guy left the observatory for a walk on the upper part of the mountain and was never found. There are a handful of these, and the theory in hiking circles is that the wind tore them from the mountain, and miles away they fell from the sky to the wilderness below in areas that nobody would think to look. It is definitely believeable, since some of the buildings are chained down at the corners to prevent the wind from lifting them off the rocks. 

I hiked a meduim sized peak in NH named Mount Chocorua once in high winds, and a 230 pound co-worker was picked up for about 5 seconds when he was trying to cross an exposed flat section just below the summit. It scared the living hell out of him, and the winds were only about 100mph. Washington has hit 231 so you could definitely be carried off if you ventured above treeline in a storm. Most of the time it isn't bad at all, but even in good weather the mountain's higher reaches have a very creepy vibe.


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## heavyjeffd (Apr 20, 2007)

I tried to summit Mt. Washington with my sister in 2005 in late November. We didn't make it, the wind chill was way too high (not sure exactly, they were saying something like 30 below) but the wind got so heavy our guide had us bed down for the night. We turned back and hiked out the next day.

We'd already done Mt. Whitney (more than once) and Rainier (which we didn't summit either due to weather) and really wanted to complete Washington. 

I'd love to do a climb again, but I just don't have the time/finances atm. ><


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## The Dark Wolf (Apr 20, 2007)

Isn't that the windiest place in America? It's one of the coldest too, isn't it?


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## ohio_eric (Apr 20, 2007)

Kingda Ka said:


> and the winds were only about 100mph



Jesus only a 100 mph?! You know it's windy where you live when a 100 mph doesn't get your attention.


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 20, 2007)

100 is when the mountain is in a pleasant mood. Anything past that though is extremely dangerous. Most hiker guides state that if the winds hit 70mph you should turn back since they will probably get worse.

They post the conditions 24/7 at this site: 
http://mountwashington.org/weather/cam/

The live camera shots are great, and in Jaunary you see some insane conditions. They can have 40 below with 140mph winds any day in mid winter, and in some places the snow stays year round.

The site has some sick pictures on it too.






It is known as the most severe combination of wind, cold, and precipitation on the planet, and while the temperatures do not get as bad as the polar regions, the winds and precipitation are much worse since the mountain sits at the intersection of several storm tracks. If you get a chance and the weather is good it is well worth a visit though, and the mountain can be ascended in about 4 hours on most trails since the average distance is 3.5-4 miles from base to summit.


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## The Dark Wolf (Apr 20, 2007)

Whoa! That's the windiest place ON EARTH.

From Wiki -

_holding the record for the highest wind gust directly measured at the Earth's surface, at 231 mph (372 km/h)_


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 20, 2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQEVcCv_xkQ

Check this out. This was last month. Boiling water turns to ice in about 1 second. The temp was 34 below zero on March 6.

This gives an idea of a day to stay OFF the mountain.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2810424632323852608&q=mount+washington+wind&hl=en

This one is a bit less severe, but humorous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdCLBzJHy9E


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## D-EJ915 (Apr 20, 2007)

Kingda Ka said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQEVcCv_xkQ
> 
> Check this out. This was last month. Boiling water turns to ice in about 1 second. The temp was 34 below zero on March 6.
> 
> ...


That was sweet, thanks for the link!


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 20, 2007)

How about some wind sledding? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V8mDAePjxY

And finally, some undercast video. This one is amazing, and the clouds are going so fast it looks like the ocean. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fa8Y-HWMDA

Sometime in the next few weeks I am going to climb this thing with Chris, and I am sure his pic-story skills will result in a first class post afterwards.


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## noodles (Apr 25, 2007)

Kingda Ka said:


> It is definitely believable, since some of the buildings are chained down at the corners to prevent the wind from lifting them off the rocks.



Wow 



> the winds were only about 100mph.



Only 100mph, huh?


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 26, 2007)

When you get out of the car at the base you are greeted with these signs:






After about 2 hours of slogging uphill in the woods you leave the safety of the woods and are greeted with cheery signs of this nature:





If the weather is bad you DO turn the hell around because between you and the summit is about 90 minutes of uphill climbing over a 2 mile long boulder field with ZERO protection from the elements that can ice up in minutes. 

The rocks begin abruptly after the woods end, and they do not stop. You will be seeing rocks in your sleep after you add this thing to your belt. 






Distance perception is hard above treeline, since nothing tall stands to give you a perspective of scale. Hikers have made the fatal mistake of going for the summit in declining weather because it looks so close, but in reality the battle is only about halfway over from the part where you ascend into the open. The summit looks like a gentle dome from here, but you are still 2 miles and about 1700 vertical feet below the peak. And it gets STEEP about halfway up and pretty much stays that way until you reach the top .

In good weather a strong hiker is about hour and a half away from the top at the spot where the following shot was taken. In a storm with the winds we saw last week, you probably wouldn't reach the base of the final slope at the other side of the plateau in front of the hiker in this picture. The antenna that can be seen atop the absolute peak a bit left of the apex is about 150-180 feet tall yet it looks tiny.






This summer picture shows the final pitch in better detail, and you can get an idea of how steep the last mile is. People have died on these upper slopes in storms because they can't make it the last few hundred yards to the shelter of the summit buildings.






At the top there is a small city of sorts, with this sign greeting tourists who arrive by train or auto road. 






Once May gets here the weather usually improves and stays relatively calm until October. Weather aside, anyone near the northeast should check this place out because for about a 8-10 hour hike and few bucks on food at the summit this trip offers a bang for the entertainment dollar that is hard to beat and the views alone in clear weather make the exertion worth it.


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## Chris (Apr 26, 2007)

Kingda Ka said:


> How about some wind sledding?
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V8mDAePjxY
> 
> ...



Fuck yeah. 

If there's 100mph winds, we can let Drew summit first.


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## Drew (Apr 26, 2007)

Fuck yes, I'm IN. 




Seriously, too. I'd love to take a crack at climbing that.


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 26, 2007)

It sounds like an expedition is in the works. 

The mountain is about 2.5 hours and 120 miles north of Amesbury, and the best way is 95 north to route 16. 16 goes through Conway and the mountain's base lodge sits on 16 itself. 

Ascent is 3.8 miles, and in good weather is not technically difficult. The best way to see the peak is the awesome Huntington Ravine ascent and a descent by a shoulder of the mountain called Boot Spur. I made a quick sketch of the entire route below. You park just off the lower right at an altitude of about 2000 feet. The summit rises about 4300 feet over your head to an altitude of 6288". Red marks the ascent, while blue marks the descent. As you can see, a massive portion of the 9.5 mile loop is above treeline which is why the weather is such a big factor.






The ascent begins on an old tractor road that is about 10 feet wide and you choose your destiny at about 1.7 miles where the blue descent route forks off to the left. Red continues to Huntington Ravine, which is the signature trail of the mountain and one of the most spectacular trails in the east. A non-technical route, it features an 800 foot section that has you scrambling up all manner of ledges and outcroppings. You don't need rope, and in good weather it is not challenging at all, but if you are afraid of steep exposed places at extreme height this is NOT your kind of place. A 1000 foot cliff is always at your left as you ascent these ledges, and you can see the shadow it casts on the ravine at the left side of the bowl. 

After emerging from the bowl, you get a 1.5 mile break, as you walk across a plateau and give your legs a break. It is weird here, since the trail stays pretty much level as you walk towards the edge of Tuckerman's Ravine. 

After this, you bang a right and attack the summit ridge......ascending about 1200 feet in a mile up a slope of completely open rock. The best way to do this is hit it for a few minutes and rest. After this, you have finished the climb and the summit's cafeteria, bathrooms, and beverages beckon. You will definitely want to spend an hour or so up here to check the views.

The descent is the opposite of the climb. While offering even more open views, it is very relaxing and offers no challenge other than to watch your step. You descend the summit, and meander across a huge plateau that will remind you of Scotland, then you have a spectacular descent of an open ridge that separates Tuckerman's Ravine and a similar bowl called Gulf of Slides. The ridge has drop offs of anywhere from 800-1500 feet on either side, and the views down into the two ravines are incredible. 

After this, you hit a steep 10 minute descent in increasing forest cover and you then arrive at the upper end of the tractor road you started on. A 1 hour walk down and the day is won. 

The base has private showers so I usually bring a change of clothes so I can hit North Conway's dining establishments without looking like I just walked off Everest.

This is a big physical undertaking, but it is NOT nearly as difficult as it looks. I have climbed it nearly 100 times, and aside from a few doses of wounded pride when the weather forced a retreat, I haven't had any scares. If you go, and the weather holds I can almost guarantee you will be hooked. 

If you leave here at 7:00, the hike will commence at about 11:00. The summit is then nailed by 3:00-4:00, and the descent at a relaxed pace will take until about 7:30-8:00. This is the most involved trip and will give you a complete adventure. You will definitely sleep like a rock afterwards.

It is ranked #2 in the East in difficulty of ascent, with only Mount Adams (5 miles north on the same ridge.....#2 in height at 5799", but you start 1000 feet lower making it 280 more vertical feet of climbing at 4580" of ascent.) beating it. Chris climbed it in 1994 with me and a few friends, and the terrain is identical on that peak. 

It is supposed to rain this weekend....but next Saturday looks like a good day to do battle.


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## Chris (Apr 26, 2007)

I'm in for next Saturday if the weather works out.


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## Chris (Apr 26, 2007)

btw, Steve was in on that Adams climb.  Remember all of us vomiting about 1/4 of the way up?


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## Drew (Apr 26, 2007)

Next Saturday, the 5th? I think I can do that, too. It'll be a pretty early start, I trust? 

This isn't anywhere near that old "Old Man on the Mountain" outcropping, is it? I could be dead wrong, but that route looks awfully familiar. I'm thinking I might have hiked this as a kid. We hit some rough weather up top too, come to think of it, and it's amazing my mom was as calm as she was. 

EDIT - my friend Grace is going to kill me - she wants me to take her hiking, and was hoping maybe that weekend. Grace is a short, city born-and-bred asian girl with little tolerance for physical activity/hardship, and would absolutely NOT be someone I'd bring along on something like this. When she finds out I'm not hiking with her to, well, go hiking...  Oh well. Chicks dig you when you blow them off a lot, and they can get pissed at you.


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## Chris (Apr 26, 2007)

Bah, Tom's girl has hiked Washington. Bring her along. 

I'll be lugging up a 12-pack anyway.


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## Chris (Apr 26, 2007)

omg, it's Cinco de fucking Mayo!


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## ohio_eric (Apr 26, 2007)

Drew and Chris,

Just last week both of you posted stories of how you almost died while canoeing. Now you're both going to hike the most dangerous mountain in America. So who's going to run the forum when you're dead?


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## The Dark Wolf (Apr 26, 2007)

That's obvious.

Only the two smartest, brightest, mostest handsome guys on here. You and me, of course.


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## ohio_eric (Apr 26, 2007)

I don't know if the forum could handle another gay couple in charge.


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## The Dark Wolf (Apr 26, 2007)

Ouch.


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 26, 2007)

Once she sees how meaty this trip is going to be I am sure you will be off the hook.  

I drew in the route here:






The red is where you use your hands off and on, and you stay out of the gullies that run down the ravine since they too dangerous to ascend without technical gear. The blue section is the plateau that leads down to the final pitch. 

This is the first pitch in the red zone. A steep open pitch of mixed slabs that is a blast in dry conditions. They use yellow paint and arrows to mark the ascent. This is considered the most difficult non-technical scramble in the mountains, and it is the trail's toughest moment. 











It is not as steep or as hard as it looks though. If you check the yellow dots you can see that using these rocks as handholds gets you up in about a minute to the safety of a flat section before the next 20 foot pitch that is much easier.


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 26, 2007)

Chris said:


> btw, Steve was in on that Adams climb.  Remember all of us vomiting about 1/4 of the way up?



I remember those pit stops well! I believe they were referred to as a "Stop and Puke"!


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## Drew (Apr 27, 2007)

ohio_eric said:


> Drew and Chris,
> 
> Just last week both of you posted stories of how you almost died while canoeing. Now you're both going to hike the most dangerous mountain in America. So who's going to run the forum when you're dead?



 Chris almost died in his story, but his sheer metalness perservered. In my story, I almost died when my buddy Jesse almost killed us all when we wouldn't stop laughing. There's a difference. 


That's a serious fuckin' slope, dude. Clearly, much beer is in order.


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## Drew (Apr 27, 2007)

My email: 



> Ok, so I&#8217;m going hiking the weekend of the 5th. That&#8217;s the good news. The bad news is it&#8217;s a hike I don&#8217;t think you&#8217;ll want to do, Mt. Washington in NH.
> 
> Here&#8217;s the description from one of the guys I&#8217;m doing it with.
> 
> ...



She's probably just stubborn enough to not bail.


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## Chris (Apr 27, 2007)

That's badassity.


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## The Dark Wolf (Apr 27, 2007)

This is gonna make just a swell picstory.


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 27, 2007)

This link might give her an idea of the magnitude of this adventure. 

http://www.mountwashington.com/deaths/index.html

By hike time, the snow above treeline should be a non-factor and the ledges will be free of all ice. Beer will definitely make things more enjoyable.


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## The Dark Wolf (Apr 27, 2007)

^ 

Holy fuck!


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## Kingda Ka (Apr 27, 2007)

The ones that die in July and August of hypothermia are the scariest. 

Snowfields can last on the peak until June or July and for a grand time you can pack an inflatable snow tube in your backpack and after summiting enjoy some sledding while everyone else down below swelters in 95 degree heat.


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## Kingda Ka (May 4, 2007)

Huntington Ravine will not be passable this weekend due to ice on the headwall. 






As you can see from this current shot, Huntington Ravine still has a ton of snow and ice in the gullies. What concerns me is the area marked by the red arrow. This is a 30 foot wide gully that you have to cross before the initial ledge scramble that starts the serious climbing on the upper part of the headwall. 

In dry weather this is where you rest after ascending the 700 foot boulder slope that can be seen just to the lower left of the arrow. Usually there is a bit of running water and this gully runs diagonally to the bottom of the ravine. It might be soft snow, but with the current cold and high winds I am leaning towards a layer of ice on top of hard snow. We would have to break holes and cross this area, and a fall would be catastrophic since there would be nothing to stop you from falling to the bottom of the gully.

In blue is the alternate route up a trail called Lions Head which is the normal winter route and the easiest way to climb the Mountain. It has a few steep sections in the woods but it doesn't have any ledge climbing which makes it rather dull compared to Huntington. We would use the same descent run which is in green. IMHO waiting a few more weeks until the snow is off the headwall is a wise move. Normally I would say that the white in the picture is just soft snow but with all the cold weather recently I would bet my life that we would get halfway up the ravine and have to turn around and backtrack to ascend Lion's Head instead.


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