Again, I'm not much of an ice climber. Seems a wee bit too dangerous for me. Well, maybe not. I'd probably do it if I had the chance, but at least up to this point, I've never done it. But all that personal nonsense is a way of getting to the point: check out this article over at explorenewengland.com (subscription) that takes us to Crawford Notch, New Hampshire, an ice climbing mecca...at least an East Coast version.

The article takes a look at how amateurs and complete newbies can get a taste of ice climbing by going out with groups like the Appalachian Mountain Club. The AMC, by the way, is a superbly cool organization here on the East Coast that gets people together to do all manner of outdoor activities...activities like hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, etc. The list really does go on and on.

Climbers in the article tackle a spot called Frankenstein Cliff, a towering crag of granite that offers scores of frozen waterfalls to pick and haul. A rather ominous name, but it seems whoever gage these places names was a fan of old monster films. To wit, the other cliff names are Dracula, The Coffin, and Widow's Walk, to name a few.

Filed under: Climbing, Learning, Blogs