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• Dacks Big Haus 2020 Feb. 13-17 2020

  • Start
    Thursday, November 14, 2019
  •  
    10:00 AM
  • End
    Monday, February 10, 2020
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    Adirondacks, near Elizabethtown
  • Spaces left
    4

  Register

  Note: While all members are welcome to join this trip, this is not an instructional event! Participants are expected to arrange their own partner, guide, or group beforehand.
  

  
  

  Come join us for the club’s annual trip of alpine fun and ice climbing in the Adirondacks (aka Daks). Every year, we rent a large house in the greater Keene/Keene Valley/Lake Placid area and enjoy some beautiful frozen waterfalls and amazing snow covered mountains. This year we a large house closer to Chapel Pond and Keene.  

   

  This is a club event. However, there will be no club infrastructure for new ice climbers. Do not register for the event expecting others to teach you to ice climb, set up ropes, etc. If you are a new or inexperienced climber, please arrange a partner or obtain a guide ahead of time. We will circulate a Google spreadsheet and all registrants must provide their partner’s name. We will contact anyone who has not completed this portion of the Google spread by late fall. Do not register expecting to show up and find a partner when you get there.

   

  Finally, we are all adults. It’s expected that participants will be respectful of each other, clean up their mess, and help clean the house before everyone departs.

   

  Dates: February 13-16, 2020 (President’s Day Weekend)

   

  Sign-up: You must sign up on the PATC-MS Website (www.potomacmountainclub.org) and you must be a paid PATC-MS member in good standing with liability waiver on file. Sleeping location MUST be specified when signing up and will be on first come first serve basis. Please note you will  be sharing the bed with another member, unless you pay twice for your own room. Please obtain permission of person sharing bed with if they are a different gender. This happens every year, but for the love of god, DO NOT steal someone’s bed. You only get the spot you sign up for.

  
  

  Participants have until December 10 to pay their registration fee and club dues, at which point, if accounts are not settled, they will forfeit their spot to the next person the waitlist.
  

  
  

  Sleeping locations:
  

  
  

  
  

  Bedroom #1: King Bed Sold

              Spot 1 and Spot 2

  Bedroom #2: King Bed Sold

              Spot 3 and 4

  Bedroom #3: Queen Bed Sold 

              Spot 5 and 6

  Bedroom #4: Queen Bed Sold

              Spot 7 and 8
  Bedroom #5:Queen Bed Sold

              Spot 9 and 10

  Bedroom #6: Queen Bed, Queen Bed, Double Bed

       Spot 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

  
  

  
  

  Cost is $200.00 per person.

  
  

  Waitlist: This event generally fills up every year, but people also drop out. If/when the spots fill up, the waitlist will open. Newly vacated spots will be offered in order of sign-up to waitlisted members. If a member does not respond to the organizer and pay to reserve their spot, the next waitlisted member will be offered the spot.
  

  
  

  Cancellation: If you decide to cancel, a refund will only be issued if a replacement person can fill your spot. No refunds will be issued after Jan 31, 2020.

   
  

  House details: This house comes with a fully equipped kitchen and 4 1/2 bathrooms. 

   

  We will not have to deal with any steep driveway issues this year, but it’s still winter in the Adirondacks. It’s a safer bet to have a 4-wheel drive vehicles (with good tires). There is ample parking. Exact location will be provided to participants.

   

  Cell phone coverage: Service is limited in the Adirondacks, check with your provider to see if you have service. Wifi at the house.

   

  Food/Beverages:

  Club will provide coffee, coffee filters, and sugar. Please bring a snack to share (chips/dip/brownies, etc) and a main dish, side, salad, app, or dessert, because on Saturday night, we’ll have a pot luck. You can walk to several bars/restaurants, as well as the grocery, liquor, and hardware stores, not to mention an Adirondacks museum and a hospital.  It is my goal that no one needs to visit the hospital.  Help me out with that.

   

  Ice Climbing Gear: Rental & Sales in the area:

  Mountaineer, Keene, NY

  EMS, Lake Placid, NY

   

  Ice Climbing Guide Services in the area:

  Adirondack Mountain Guides

  Rock & River

  EMS

   

  Ice Conditions Reports and Guides
  NEice.com has up to date reports on conditions. The Mountaineer will post weather and condition reports outside the front door as well. Blue Lines by Don Mellor is the climbing guide for the area. There were a few copies available at Earth Treks. Otherwise, order online or pick one up at the Mountaineer. Mountainproject.com also lists a number of routes online.

   

  Reminder: Climbing is a dangerous sport and serious injury may occur.

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• Friends of Seneca Rocks Fall 2019 Trail Work Weekend

  • Start
    Saturday, November 16, 2019
  •  
    8:00 AM
  • End
    Sunday, November 17, 2019
  •  
    3:00 PM
  • Location
    Seneca Rocks, WV
  • Registered
    7 registrants

  Register

  
  

  
  

  OPEN TO THE CLIMBING COMMUNITY
  (PATC-MS Membership encouraged, but not required)
  

   

  On 16-17 November we will hold a two-day trail work weekend to improve the climbing access trails in a variety of areas.   We have several areas of concern that we will work depending on the size of the overall group.

  We will meet at the Gendarme at 800am on Saturday morning.  From there we will gather and load up tools and carpool over to the crag.
  

  
  

  If you want to come out for even just a half-day or just one of the two days, please sign up and we'll work it out.  We can use all the help we can get on this weekend as there is plenty to be done.
  

  
  

  Dinner will be covered by Friends of Seneca.  Camping at Princess Snowbird will also be covered by FOS.

  
  

  Some proposed items on the list for work:

  
  

  -Rehab the West Face Trail base area around "Prune"

  
  

  -Fix trail damage on the Upper East Ridge Connector Trail

  
  

  -Improve trail/clear downed trees and debris from North Peak-East Face approach area.

  
  

  -Improve the approach and base area for the Southeast Corner (Skyline Traverse area)

  
  

  -Install new blue diamond trail markers

  
  

  -Continue staircase construction and improvements to the East Ridge Trail

  Please be sure to wear good sturdy boots and long pants.  Bring a helmet, gloves, a small pack, and food/water for the day.
  

  
  

  As the work will be taking place in a busy area, we will need to be aware of others wanting to use the trail while we carry out repairs.
  

  
  

  Questions?  Please contact Andy Weinmann (rocclim78 at gmail.com) or Edwin Bachetti (edwin at bachetti.net).
  

  
  

  
  

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• 2019 PATC-MS Holiday Party

  • When
    Saturday, December 14, 2019
  •  
    7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
  • Location
    The Batley, 1270 4th Street, NE WASHINGTON, DC 20002
  • Registered
    Be the first

  Register

  
  

  

  Saturday December 14th, 2019

   

  The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club's Mountaineering Section invites you to our annual holiday party.

   

  

   

  Join us at The Batley, 1270 4th Street NE, WASHINGTON, DC 20002 (metro accessible), for our Annual Holiday Party.  In store we've got a raffle to benefit the club with some seriously awesome items up for grabs; the ever-fun Yankee gift swap; our annual photo contest with sweet prizes; Golden Biner Awards; and who doesn’t love climber drinking games?!

   

  And let’s not forget the food and drinks!  This will be a potluck-style event – we’ll take care of the main dish, you show off your side-dish culinary talent and spirits.  The old adage “the more, the merrier” applies!
  
  

  Please use the link https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0b44a8aa2ea6f94-2019

  to coordinate food and beverages.

   

  A few notes about the gift swap: It'll be the (in)famous Yankee gift swap split up into groups so that it doesn't take the whole evening and you have time to mingle and enjoy the rest of the festivities. 
  
  Gifts should be around the $15 range if you want to participate and do not need to be climbing-related, but of course, no one's going to complain if they are. ;)  

   

  There is on street parking and the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro is just around the corner Green, Red and Yellow lines.  
  
  

  We do have to set up tables and chairs so we need help with both setup and takedown.  If you'd like to help, please tick the boxes on the registration form. Arrive at 6:30pm for setup; stay till about 10:30pm for cleanup.

  
  The fun starts at 7pm, wrapping up at 10pm-ish.
  
  

  So put on your party pants and don’t miss this.  We look forward to seeing you!

   

  Cheers!
  

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• Alpine Skills Weekend 2020

  • Start
    Thursday, January 16, 2020
  •  
    11:00 AM
  • End
    Monday, January 20, 2020
  •  
    12:00 PM
  • Location
    North Conway, New Hampshire
  • Spaces left
    0

  Join waitlist

  

  
  

  PARTICIPANT REGISTRATION IS CAPPED AT 10

   

  The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club - Mountaineering Section (PATC-MS) organizes an Alpine Skills Weekend each winter to share our members' mountaineering experiences from Mt. Rainier, Denali, Aconcagua and more.

  
  

  Signing up is just an application, all participants will be notified of acceptance to ASW soon after the application is submitted. Detailed information about the weekend will be provided once you've been accepted. 

  
  

  Previous years we have split the group with some camping, and some staying in the Harvard Cabin. This year the entire team will camp outside.   

   

  Course dates: January 16-20, 2020 (MLK Weekend)
  

  
  

  Participants will be required to attend 2 full day training hikes and 1 day of training hike and Gear Check (including all personal and group gear).

  
  

  Training dates are:

  • October 5 - Training Hike 1
    
  • November 9 - Training Hike 2
    
  • December 15 - Gear Check and Training Hike 3

  Participants must be an active member of the PATC-MS prior to October 1, 2019.
  

  
  

  Consider the dates and training carefully. It is imperative that you be available for the training hikes and Gear Check. This is one of the club's most popular events. There will be a waiting list. If you drop out of the course it may affect the other participants.

  
  

  Remember, climbing, and especially mountaineering, is a dangerous sport. Mt. Washington has recorded many of the worst winds and coldest temperatures - anywhere. Climbers have died on this mountain before (this year!), and they will in the future. Do not underestimate what -20 degrees F air temperature feels like, especially for days on end.

  
  

  
  

  Basic List of Skills Covered

  • Introduction to general mountaineering equipment (crampons, ice axe, ropes)

  • Ascending a snow slope in boots

  • Use of crampons (climbing foot techniques)

  • Use of mountaineering ice axe

  • Self-arrest and glissading

  • Roped travel

  • Anchors (focus on deadman anchors, use of tools, snow pickets, and ice screws)

  • Descending: focus on walk-off (plunge step, side-step, downclimbing), and rappelling (v-thread, bollards) - if time

  • Basic full process of ascending and descending a snow (and ice) gully (putting it all together)

  • Intro to ice climbing (optional - time and weather permitting)

  • Use of avalanche gear (optional - time and weather permitting)   

  
  

  Experience and Equipment
  

  No prior experience is required for ASW. Participants must obtain (rent, borrow, buy) general mountaineering equipment and winter clothing for possible extreme severe weather conditions. Some equipment (axes, boots, crampons, avy gear) is available for checkout from the Club gear locker. Rental gear is available in North Conway at International Mountain Equipment (IME) and Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS).

  
  

  A program guide will be distributed to all participants detailing all of the required gear and other logistics for the course.

  
  

  Lodging/Camping

  This year all participants and mentors will camp outside, and will be required to share a tent (unless you bring your own 4-season tent). Camping space is available outside the cabin for $10/night. These are first come, first serve spots. Last resort is to stay at Joe Dodge Lodge and hike up each morning (approximately a two hour hike).

  
  

  Course Start Time

  You must arrive at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center no later than 11am on Thursday, January 16. Several leaders will be arriving in North Conway Wednesday evening (motel stay) to allow plenty of time on Thursday to take care of last minute things. It is recommended participants strongly consider this option.

  
  

  Training
  

  It is expected that you will train both psychically and mentally for this trip. The trip leaders will help develop and/or recommend the best way for participants to train. We will have 3 required training hikes in Shenandoah National Park where all participants will carry a full pack over a long day of hiking. The goal of the hikes is to help you understand the rigors of a good deal of elevation change and negotiating rugged terrain in colder weather.  

  
  

  
  

  Send all questions to Bill Kessinger (wkessing@gmail.com) or Corey Hilz (coreyhilz@gmail.com)
  

  Show details