We are running two weekend trips (December 9-10; January 6-7) to cover the skills needed for above treeline hikes in the Whites, which are necessary for a “co-C” winter leader rating.

This is the sign-up for the first of the two weekends. We’re hoping to keep the same group together for both weekends but understand that this might not be possible for everyone. We will prioritize taking people who can commit to both weekends, so if you can do both, please make sure to sign-up for both!

Who should sign up?

We’re specifically aiming this at women and non-binary folks who are (1) experienced winter school leaders who are (2) hoping to become a co-C at some point. Given these aims, you should have led or co-led at least two MITOC B trips. Additionally, you should have your layering systems dialed and have done at least one above treeline winter trip in the Whites. These trips are a way to dial in skills and gain experience but participation does not mean or guarantee that you’ll become a co-C! That’s up to the Winter Safety Committee!

If you have not led winter trips before but (1a) have led other trips (e.g., climbing, 3-season hiking) or (1b) have been an experienced leader in another outdoors club, (2a) have at least some above treeline experience in winter conditions that are similar to the conditions in the White Mountains (very cold and windy) or (2b) have a lot of above treeline experience in alpine environments, and (3) are hoping to become a co-C before or during the coming winter school, you should still apply!

If these conditions don’t apply to you, don’t worry! The winter school mentor programme also exists to help leaders develop skills. And, for winter school participants, you’ve got the entirety of winter school!

What will we be doing?

We will hike both days each weekend and either stay at one of the MITOC cabins (Intervale or Camelot), stay at another cabin somewhere in the Whites (e.g. Harvard cabin, Gray Knob cabin), or camp somewhere (e.g. Liberty Springs, Kinsman Pond Shelter, Baldface Shelter, Harvard cabin, Lake of the Clouds).

To tailor each trip to the weather, we will hold off making a decision about where we will go until the Thursday before the trip. Regardless of where we end up going, we will aim to pick places that allow us to practice some combination of the following skills: walking with an ice-axe, self-arresting, walking with crampons and different step types (e.g., front pointing, French step, American step), above-treeline layering and navigation, decision-making and group management. Weather permitting, we may also camp somewhere, in which case we’d also be able to try out different winter sleep systems and practice winter camping skills.

Possible trips (which also give a sense of required fitness levels):

We will aim to move at a steady pace, which, given this is targeted at experienced winter school leaders, will likely be faster than a normal MITOC group pace. For a sense of the kinds of distances and elevation involved, we’ve included possible weekend trip combinations below. Note that these are only options! It is possible that we end up doing a hike or staying somewhere that is not listed below.

Over the weekend, do two of the following hikes:

• Flume and Liberty via Flume Slide
• Beaver Brook
• Hi-Cannon
• Franconia Ridge
• Whiteface Ledges
• Osceola from the Kanc
• Other steep hike on that side of the Whites
  • Options for where to stay on Saturday night include Camelot or camping somewhere like Kinsman Pond Shelter or Liberty Springs.

Over the weekend, do two of the following hikes:

• Baldface
• Castle Ravine
• Whiteface Ledges
• Osceola from the Kanc
• Something else that is steep and on that side of the Whites
  • For any of the above, we have a variety of options for where to stay, including, but not necessarily limited to, camping at Baldface Shelter, camping somewhere else, staying at Intervale or the Harvard Cabin.

More unified weekend options include:

• Tuckerman Ravine for skills, stay at Harvard Cabin or camp there, head up Lions Head and down Boot Spur, option of tagging Washington and/or Monroe depending on weather.
• Lake of the Clouds, dig a campsite, practice skills around the lake and on Monroe or the slopes up to Washington, camp that night, potentially tag some summits and/or do more skills practice.
• Stay at Grey Knob cabin, practice above treeline skills, tagging some combo of Adams/Jefferson/Washington.
• Tuckerman Ravine for skills, then head out to drive round to hike up to Gray Knob Cabin, next day tag some combo of Adams/ Jefferson/ Washington depending on the weather.
• Presidential Traverse, camping at Lake of the Clouds though there are other options for places to camp. Note that we’d only consider this for the second weekend since you spend so much time above treeline. Because of the distances involved, we would also have less time to actively practice skills.

If you have any questions, just reach out!