MT. WASHINGTON WINTER ASCENT - January 2019

Our 5th Annual climb of Winter Lion Head trail.
• MT. WASHINGTON WINTER ...
Music and sound by www.bensound.com

[@TosGD]

beautiful mountain, nice job on your FIFTH ascent in the winter. GG, all respect for hiking 6000 feet up the windiest place on earth

[@croninn]

Wikkid pissah good job on your video. Beautiful day.

[@cameronclark1345]

Love the raw video - can't wait to give this climb a try some day

[@Who1yo]

i ascended that same day, Saturday Jan 26. it was my first winter ascent. I watched your previous videos to prepare myself. thanks for posting, my video camera died.

[@follow_the_cairns]

Very cool. We probably crossed paths at some point. You probably realized real quick that the videos make it look easier than it actually is. But I hope it helped with expectations. It was a beautiful day. Thanks for watching.

[@Weonlyknewoneway]

Awesome job 👍

[@kaiserwilhelmnh932]

I think i used to work with Mike back in the 80's. Blast from the past right there!

[@northwoodsrat6686]

Nice ! Glad you guys had good conditions up there . Awesome shot , looking almost straight down into Tucks ! Will finally be up there in Huntington the first week of March , maybe even Tuckerman the following day , time and energy permitting , after a huge absence from climbing in NH ; can hardly wait . Thanks for posting this for us to enjoy . Recently subbed your fine channel . ATB

[@follow_the_cairns]

Huntington is awesome. But back to back days on those ravines will be a tough weekend!. Thanks for watching bro.

[@northwoodsrat6686]

@@follow_the_cairns You're absolutely right ; would probably be "biting off more than I could chew" ( did two back to back days once in Tuckerman , but that was about 23 years ago , lol ) . Had originally planned for an extra day to rest between climbs , but my partner couldn't include one due to family obligations . Will now hearken to your voice of reason and just use day 2 to hang out in Crawford or something .Thanks , man : )

[@MeetMeOutside]

Awesome ! Nice effort man ! Thanks for sharing.✌️

[@follow_the_cairns]

Thanks for watching Crag! I really enjoy your videos.

[@MeetMeOutside]

FollowTheCairns603 You betcha ! Thanks!

[@benbratko9904]

Awe snap. I did it the day after. Great climb

[@follow_the_cairns]

You may have had better weather? It's a great hike. Hope you enjoyed it.

[@benbratko9904]

@@follow_the_cairns we had some grat weather. still windy at the top, but it was a bright sunny day

[@GetUpTheMountains]

This will be my 3rd year making and annual winter climb of Washington. In 2021 that chimney section at 4:08 was a pure ice waterfall. Only the presence of a large group's rope allowed people to ascend and descend safely. Last year I went up Ammo and hit Monroe and Washington, and descended via the cog. Much less icey and the weather was great. Highly recommend that descent at least once. Perfect for sunset!

[@AndrewS-wj8be]

You’re not the guy I met yesterday morning at the liberty springs trail, are you? I met a group of hikers at 5am, one of which said he does lions head up mt Washington annually.

[@curvenut]

can the Lion head trail be hike only on micro spike crampons ?

[@imraali13]

@FollowTheCairns603 What time did you start the ascend and how many hours it took you guys to reach the summit. I am planning to do it this Jan and I am in need of some expert advice. Trying to figure out for someone doing first time a winter hike or something like this, how much time do I need ot give myself for this hike.

[@Beyondtopsecret1]

what crampons do you use?

[@martindziezic7076]

do you remove the cleats when walking on rocks or best avoid rocks and stay on the snow or can that be helped ? marty

[@GetUpTheMountains]

For the most part you'll leave them on. There is always ice in between the rocks, and often encasing them. I got stainless steel crampons specifically to be more durable than an aluminum equivalent. You might swap over to a microspike or trail crampon, but only if the conditions are extraordinarily mild. You can resharpen your crampon spikes at home if they become dull.

[@philipbuckley759]

did you stay, on top.....overnight.....

[@OutsideChronicles]

Loved the video. Cool that you make it an annual hike. Planning the Presidential Range for the summer, but Washington looks like fun in the winter. Were those Hillsound Crampons?

[@follow_the_cairns]

- Washington is a blast in the winter. I've done 3 single day Presi's. Love them all. Hillsounds? I don't know what my buddy was wearing, but I had full crampons on. However, I did have my Hillsounds on in my Katahdin - Forever Wild video..

[@Dbcooper581]

Hey just wondering if you guys add people to your group, I’ve been wanting to do it for awhile now but none of my hiking buddies wanna do it lol, I climbed Rainier so I have the gear just no one crazy enough to do it with haha. Great video

[@follow_the_cairns]

Hey bro. Message me in Instagram (same profile name).

[@Dbcooper581]

FollowTheCairns603 sweet

[@collectviewsandvert469]

@@Dbcooper581 hey man im in the same boat, getting into mountaineering from doing a lot of backpacking and hiking and none of my friends will join. if your interested we could climb some winter peaks in new england together.

[@rileychambo]

Was this the 22nd?

[@timontrail]

Would hillsound trail crampons be okay to use?

[@philsmith2444]

On level ground and moderate slopes, sure. I’ve hiked Chocorua and Kearsarge North, among others, with Hillsounds and had no problems. But they’re not attached securely enough to your boots, on steep trails and ice you need traction that’ll hold your entire weight without shifting. You “might” be able to get by with Hillsound Trail Crampon Pros, but my life is worth another $100 for real crampons. You’ll need mountaineering boots for the rigid soles and ankles (they take the strain so your joints don’t have to), and an ice axe as well.

[@mattgreco5865]

Awesome video! Planning on going in early March. Wondering how long the entire hike took you? Also, how clearly defined is the trail above the tree-line? Thanks.

[@follow_the_cairns]

Hi Matt. Thanks for watching. It took about 5 hours to summit. Probably another 3 to 4 to descend. The trail is not marked completely but if you go on a weekend there will be people up there to follow. Once you get past Split Rock just follow the cairns. Be careful following them back down and remember to bear left at the sign to get back to Split Rock.

[@ethayer1]

Anybody up for conquering it this year?! Send a message my way :)

[@collectviewsandvert469]

iv been getting into mountaineering and trying to find people to do winter climbs with, im in if you want to climb some.

[@brittanyamber9066]

I would love to do this next year. I love winter hiking

[@xxjoeyt07xx]

I’m in northfield this year looking to do it haha

[@XconnorX11]

Anybody want to do it this coming winter? Lmk so we can have a small group

[@XconnorX11]

@@daceypack605 You down to go in December?