News
Emilie Drinkwater- Outdoor Research Athlete
Welcome back to MWV Ice Fest Emilie! We’re so stoked to get this Outdoor Research athlete and super dialed guide back to instruct for us in 2020. Emilie currently lives out in Salt Lake City, Utah, but grew up here in the Northeast! Emilie was just the 9th woman (and 100th American) to obtain an…
Read more...Access Fund- 2020 Beneficiary!
Access Fund is back as our official MWV Ice Fest non-profit beneficiary for 2020! They have had a super busy year nationally, as well as right here in the Northeast. A portion of the door proceeds on Friday evening, as well as 100% of the silent auction proceeds, go to supporting this organization. They work…
Read more...Matty Bowman
Matty Bowman is back! Matt resides just “North of the Notch” in Berlin. He co-owns the White Mountain Cafe and Bookstore, is an awesome Dad, and guides for NEM! Matt got hooked on the Whites when he spent a stint caretaking the Harvard Cabin at the base of Huntington Ravine, a storied refuge for climbers in…
Read more...Lodging
Hey folks! Hop on over to our LODGING page to check out some deals for Ice Festers!! Book your clinics and rooms, ASAP!! Ice Festers get discounts at Eastern Slope Inn and Comfort Inn right here in North Conway. Also, check out White Mountain Hostel in Conway for bunk-style accommodations (and private rooms)!
Read more...Ben Mirkin
Our friend Ben Mirkin is back! Pictured on the Beckey-Chouinard route in the Bugaboos last summer, Ben lives, guides and teaches here in New England year round. Ben is a professor at Northern Vermont University, just over the border in the North East Kingdom of VT. Last year Ben added to his already beefy credentials…
Read more...Matt Shove
Matt Shove is the owner of Ragged Mountain Guides in CT, founded in 2010. Matt instructs all over the Northeast, he also leads technical courses and mountain trips in ranges and crags all over the US. He has conducted training programs for elite mountain warfare soldiers, and the US Coast Guard, and was a Technical Editor for…
Read more...Keith Sidle
New guest guide alert!! Welcome to Ice Fest, Keith! Keith Sidle first discovered ice climbing right here in the Mount Washington Valley over a dozen years ago, and hasn’t missed a season since. Keith has been guiding for the past nine years, splitting time between MWV winters and the Tetons in the summer. In his…
Read more...CAMP brings back Jesse Huey!
Big welcome back to our friends at CAMP USA! We’re psyched to have these guys back in our corner supporting another awesome MWV Ice Fest. They’ve got tons of rad gear NEW FOR 2019 and we can’t wait to try the heck out their demo fleet this year! C.A.M.P. stands for history, innovation, quality and…
Read more...Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop
Hey folks! ESAW is here early this year. The Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop is October 19 at Fryeburg Academy. This one day snow science symposium is a great way to get your head into the game of all things snow. This year the focus is on avalanche rescue and its one not to miss.…
Read more...MWV Ice Fest- year 27!!
Leaf peeping’ season is coming to an end someday soon folks. We’ve got some fun tricks up our sleeves, and tons of treats as well as we head into our 27th year of celebrating winter climbing in New Hampshire. Lots of awesome returning guides from IMCS and guest guides, both local and from the wide…
Read more...2019 Photo Booth
Check yo’ self out! https://proofs.mccallisterphoto.com/ice-fest-2019
Read more...OR athletes Bayard Russel, Alexa Siegel and Matt McCormick
Big Shout out to our headlining Sponsor Outdoor Research! We’re still rolling out OR athletes and ambassadors! Be sure to stop by the outdoor Research table at IME this weekend and chat with these folks about their rad gear! “Alexa first discovered climbing at the Boston Rock Gym in February of 2003. The gym was…
Read more...Access Fund
Every year at Ice Fest, we hold a silent auction to raise funds for non-profits that work hard to support the New England climbing community. This year, we are excited to be working with the Access Fund as our official beneficiary. Locally, Access Fund and Northeast Regional Director, Mike Morin have been hard at work on a…
Read more...AAC
The AAC Vision is a simple one. A United Community Of Competent Climbers And Healthy Climbing Landscapes. A simple vision in a complicated landscape. We’re stoked to have AAC continue their sponsorship of MWV Ice Fest, the longest running Ice Climbing Festival in the United States. There are tons of benefits to joining the AAC,…
Read more...Alain Comeau, Bob Baribeau, and Craig John
Alain Comeau has been working as an instructor and guide since the 1970s. He is the owner of New England Mountain Guides here in NH. 2009 AMGA Guide of the Year and 2017 AMGA Lifetime Achievement Award are just a couple of the accolades due to Alain. These days Alain specializes in adaptive rescue systems…
Read more...La Sportiva
Welcome back La Sportiva! Visit Ice Fest friend Doug Madara at the La Sportiva booth and get hooked up with the perfect Mountaineering boots for your clinic! “Our mission is to bring you the best technical products to explore the outdoors. For 89 years we have been producing innovative products and we are looking forward…
Read more...Rab
Welcome back Rab Equipment! Stoked to have Rab back to demo their jackets and gloves at Ice Fest this year! About Rab: “Today, we are ceaseless in our commitment to Rab’s exacting standards, ingenuity and pioneering spirit. We make rugged, high performance mountain clothing and equipment that give you absolute protection, comfort and freedom on the…
Read more...Patagonia
Stoked to have a bevy of Patagonia demo gear heading your way! Jackets, puffies and backpacks, oh my! They’ll also be traveling with one of their folks from their Worn Wear program. Check out the video below to learn more about Worn Wear and how to extend the life of your gear 🙂 Packs: Ascensionist…
Read more...Sarah Garlick and Jim Surette
Sarah Garlick is a climber from North Conway. She’s led expeditions to Greenland, Newfoundland, Patagonia, Peru, Mozambique, and Jordan. She’s the author of two books: Flakes, Jugs, and Splitters: A Rock Climber’s Guide to Geology (2009) and the National Geographic Pocket Guide to Rocks and Minerals of North America(2014). When she’s not climbing, she’s chasing…
Read more...Michael Wejchert, Freddie Wilkinson and Marc Chauvin
We have some more Mount Washington Valley local guides up on the blog for you! While the valley is home base for all of these fellas, they certainly haven’t limited their climbing time to the local crags. All have notable CVs with international destinations speckling their accomplishment lists. They’re also all published authors and great…
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