The story
Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest in North Conway
Before sunrise in February, climbers gather in North Conway with crampons, ropes, and steaming coffee, ready to head toward blue walls of ice for four days of guided climbs and clinics. Evenings shift the energy into town, where shops and taverns fill with wet gloves, gear talk, and replayed routes. Running since 1993, the festival mixes technical instruction with the kind of camaraderie that turns strangers into rope partners by night's end.
At first light, the valley sounds like metal on glass: crampons scrape frozen ground, ice tools tap against packs, and climbers head toward blue walls of ice with steam rising from their coffee.