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In Boston Dec 3-5... what to do?

Original Post
sunder · · Alsip, Il · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 805

Look like i will be in the Boston Area and will have the weekend of Dec 3-5 with nothing to do. I will travel up to 300miles.

Now what to do?

Rock
Ice
Alpine
Ski

Does anyone have any ideas?

M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090

It is a crapshoot in New England, especially then. You might get a nice sunny day and you could be enjoying sport climbing at Rumney, or it could be spitting freezing rain. I would think your best bet would be sport climbing or bouldering, depending on your luck with the weather.

doligo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 269

Ice on Mt. Washington, just watch neice.com for conditions. If you're lucky you might hit a good snowstorm, then I'd pack skis. Like M. Sprague said it's a crapshoot. If it's anything like last year, you may enjoy some warm days on the rock.

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425

Drink all the New England beers you can get your monkey fists on!!

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425

I guess I should take a break from arguing semantics and philosophies and be helpful.

Here are some guys in the damnation gully hittin up the tools a week ago (10/10/10).
neice.com/photopost/showpho…

NEICE.com photo

NEice.com #2

Andy Stachyra · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 0

Like the others said, early Dec is a really transitional time. It's usually too cold for rock, but not cold enough for a long enough time yet to have built up much ice. If you are just looking to kill a few hours without driving very far, the best bet for rock at that point is C wall at Quincy Quarries (it's listed on this website). The C wall is located in kind of an alcove that gets a lot of sun, so it's kind of a natural oven that stays like 10 degrees warmer later in the year than most places. It's all slabby short one-pitch TR climbing though; no pro at all. Good enough for a single Sat afternoon visit if you've never been and you have nothing better to do anyway, but be forewarned that it's going to seem quite lame next to a playground like Rumney--its principal attraction is that it's really easy to get to. If you want to do ice, you will need to get to high elevations: either Tuckerman or Huntington ravine on Mt. Washington. Those are high, exposed, and above treeline though; if it's a nasty windy day you'll want to bail. Another higher elevation (and thus, usually fat enough to be climbable a couple of weeks earlier than other locations) ice option that nobody mentioned is Mt. Avalon at the north end of Crawford notch. The ice is down in the trees, it's difficult to find, the approach involves bushwhacking, and it's not listed on mountainproject.com but it is described in the standard guide book for the area "An Ice Climber's Guide to Northern New England". Check neclimbs.com and neice.com for up-to-date ice conditions; who knows, if Thanksgiving is a cold one this year you may get lucky and there could be other locations that are in that early as well.

In all honesty, I think skiiing is probably your best bet--Killington in northern VT just got its first dump already this season as of last Fri, Oct 15. That will stretch your 300 mile personal travel limit to the max though. Have fun!

john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

Like Scott said - drinking is your best option.

sunder · · Alsip, Il · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 805

I will actually be out in boston from Nov 29 to Dec 10 for Acme Packet Training but only have the weekend of Dec 3-5 free... So while im out there training i will have lots of Times to Drink. I will probably head over to Boston Rock Gym during the week and may be in search of a climbing partner at the gyms as well.

So it looks like im packing everything. Ice Gear, rock gear, and ski's.

I have been out to quincy quarries its a pretty sweet place minus the graffity i was on J Wall when i was out there.

Jason Antin · · Golden, CO · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,375
sunder wrote:I will actually be out in boston from Nov 29 to Dec 10 for Acme Packet Training but only have the weekend of Dec 3-5 free... So while im out there training i will have lots of Times to Drink. I will probably head over to Boston Rock Gym during the week and may be in search of a climbing partner at the gyms as well. So it looks like im packing everything. Ice Gear, rock gear, and ski's. I have been out to quincy quarries its a pretty sweet place minus the graffity i was on J Wall when i was out there.
Sunder...

If you don't mind the cold, there is lots of climbing to do!
john strand · · southern colo · Joined May 2008 · Points: 1,640

For real- i would head down to Lincoln Woods, RI. It's a quick drive and the bouldering is very good. Early Dec should still be fun in the sun.
as for drinking, I would say Redbones in Somerville for Beer/BBQ (on public transportation) and for a REAL irish bar, Brendan Behan in jamaica Plain.

sunder · · Alsip, Il · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 805

So one of my weekends free i will be flighing out my fiance to go skiing can anyone recommend really good ski resorts in NH or VT for Dec10 - Dec 12.

Thanks

Lanky · · Tired · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 255

If the weather is at all nice and there's not much snow, bouldering is an option at Pawtuckaway, Lynn Woods, Lincoln Woods, or the areas around Boston. Can't comment on the ice situation or the skiing, but I'll be out bouldering.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northeastern States
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