Roughly two weeks ago, as reported in a NEClimbs forum, a climber witnessed a near disaster at the Texaco Amphitheater in Crawford Notch, New Hampshire. On February 11th, two climbers were on the route, Ankles Away (3+), when the ice collapsed, dropping the climber about 15 feet. As a result, the belayer was shot into the air as chunks of ice came hurtling down. Luckily, as the belayer was suspended, the ice whizzed by her and came crashing down in the area where she had previously been standing. As evident from the pictures, the collapse caused some serious damage. The route is all but demolished, and the ground near the belay area is littered with massive shards of ice. Thankfully, the belayer escaped with minor cuts and a swollen ankle. The climber suffered more severe injuries, including a gash on his chin and some seriously bruised thighs. The two individuals were very lucky, and both walked away relatively unharmed from a situation that could have ended much worse.
This unseasonable winter has made ice climbing in many areas much more risky than in previous years. The warm weather presents many dangers to climbers when they are out on the ice. Aside from the potential to melt and weaken ice, warm weather also inhibits the ability for routes to form a solid base. Therefore, especially this year, it is extremely important for climbers to be wary of their surroundings and take precautions regarding the weather. We’re very glad that nobody in the area was seriously injured, and hope that they’ll be up and climbing again soon.
Before
After
Photo Credit: Evan Kay
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