Subject: ice climbing last weekend.
Date: Wed, 03 Feb 1999 10:39:10 EST
From: Boris A Itin <bitin@MIT.EDU>

Here goes a short ice climbing trip report.

Igor, Simon, Areg and I climbed near Rumney (Newfound(?) lake) this Saturday.
Weather was perfect: sunny, 10-20F. There are 5-6 routes, mostly a little bit
longer than 1 full pitch. Two routes are solid 4 grade (they were in the 
bad condition: thin and flaky) and other 3 routes are good beginner level 
climbs. The access is very easy, just 50 meters up the rope, view of the lake
is spectacular, and it's possible to scramble back down after you have climbed
up a route. All in all, it's a good place for beginners. It's also possible
to set up ropes on the top of the harder routes and do some top-roping with
belaying from the top. The moon was full, so we got an hour of night climbing
and rappeling. The only bad thing about this place is that you really need to
know directions to get there. The ice climbing book directions are screwed up.

                                                        Boris.

P.S. My friends were at Flume and Crawford notch the same weekend and they
told me that ice was very thin and even non-existent is some places. 
