Climb Mount Washington (6288ft): Winter Edition
Clip on your crampons as you climb the highest peak in the Northeast: Mount Washington, and learn winter mountaineering skills as you go
What's Included?
Small ‘Like-minded’ Groups
Solo-friendly by design, our small n’ sociable groups of up to 9 like-minded, active and outdoorsy people…
Learn beginner mountaineering skills from expert guides as you hike to the summit using crampons and ice axes
Hunker down next to the fire and fuel up on home-cooked meals at your rustic lodge nestled in the heart of the White Mountain National Forest
Take your pick of the seasons! Marvel at the mountain in the icy spectacular Winter weather, or tackle our Summer version to soak up New Hampshire with the sun on your face.
Key Information
Day 1
Head to the White Mountains and learn winter skills ahead of summit day
Hiking
You'll depart at 07:00, stopping at North Conway for lunch, before arriving at your destination for the weekend: Pinkham Notch located in the heart of the White Mountains. Get into your gear at the Joe Dodge Lodge and set off on a short hike of Square Ledge. This is a chance to test out your mountaineering boots and crampons and check that everything is adjusted properly for our summit attempt the next day. Your expert guide will teach you the basics of crampon and ice axe techniques that you will be using throughout your climb the next day. You will also be testing your clothing and making adjustments as needed. You'll learn about layering, moisture management, and how to stay warm and dry in winter conditions. After the hike, enjoy a delicious dinner at the Lodge, go through individual gear checks, pack your backpack for the next day, and get a good night's sleep.
Day 2
The Big One: Summit Mount Washington
Hiking
Fuel up with a big breakfast at the Lodge before you put on your mountaineering boots and crampons ready to start your summit attempt of Mount Washington. The winter terrain will get the blood pumping right away. As you make your way up the winter Lion's Head route: put your winter skills to the test to navigate the steep, snowy terrain. Once above tree line, you may encounter high winds and low visibility, but your guides will make sure you are ready every step of the way. In milder weather, you will be treated to winter wonderland views of the White Mountains. There is a quick stop for lunch at the summit if the weather allows, then head back down. Once back at the Lodge: unwind, relax, and have a delicious dinner to celebrate the day's adventures.
Day 3
Time to head home
After a well-deserved lie-in, grab a hearty breakfast and relax for the leisurely drive back to New York City, stopping for lunch along the way.
Day 1
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 2
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Day 3
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
What is the food like?
The Joe Dodge Lodge will provide a delicious breakfast and dinner buffet. The breakfast buffet includes pancakes, eggs, oatmeal, fruit, and many other choices. The dinner buffet includes meat and non-meat based options and grain or pasta dishes, as well as soups and tasty desserts. Vegetarian, vegan and most dietary requirements can be accommodated on this trip.
What is the accommodation like?
Joe Dodge Lodge
You'll be staying in a 4-person bunk-room at Joe Dodge Lodge in the heart of Pinkham Notch surrounded by White Mountain National Forest.
The Area
Logistics
Starts
Central Manhattan
0645 on Day 1
Ends
Central Manhattan
Around 18:00 on Day 3 (depending on traffic)
Transfers
On Day 1 you'll meet your host at the corner of Broadway and W 73rd street, northwest corner in front of The North Face store. The drive to the mountains takes around 5-6 hours, with a relaxing stop for lunch. Alternatively - you are welcome to make your own way directly to the first night of accommodation if you wish.
On Day 3 you'll typically arrive back roughly between 1600-1800, however, it is entirely dependent on traffic coming into New York City, which is very unpredictable. We strongly recommend you don't make any plans for the evening or book flights departing until after 2200 - in case of delays.
Travel options
If you are flying in - there are direct flights to New York via JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports from across the US and Europe. From there you can easily make your way into central Manhatten.
Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear
In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.
What is available to hire (see Optional Extras for details)
- Mountaineering boots
- Crampons
- Ice axe
What do I need to bring?
Bags
- Waterproof Rain cover for your backpack
- 30+L backpack
Clothes
- Moisture-wicking, non-cotton base layers (top and bottom)
- Fleece
- Insulating top layer (puffy)
- Insulating bottom layer (such as fleece pants)
- Fully waterproof top and bottom layers that can be worn over all other layers, except summit puffy
- Summit puffy that's rated at least 850+ down fill or synthetic equivalent. The puffy must be able to be worn over all other layers.
- Top and bottoms for sleeping
- Warm winter hat
- Neck buff
- Balaclava (you must be able to cover your entire face, so there is no exposed skin)
- Mountaineering goggles
- Liner gloves
- Insulated, waterproof mountaineering mitts
- At least 3 pairs of wool socks
- Liner socks (optional)
- Sun hat
Other
- Personal toiletries
- Sunglasses
- Bug spray
- Sunscreen
- Water bottles or bladder (must have 3L capacity in total)
- Head torch
- Trekking poles
- Light and comfortable lodge/car shoes
- Ear plugs
Winter Kit Hire: mountaineering boots, crampons and ice axe
Payable Before Departure
Winter Kit Hire: mountaineering boots, crampons and ice axe
… Per Person
We’re still waiting to collect any reviews from other travellers on this trip. However, all our hosts go through an extensive vetting process to ensure that your adventure is awesome.
We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity.
What's the number?
It works out on average at 137kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.
The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.
But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:
- Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
- A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
- 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.
What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. We partner with the World Land Trust to ensure this trip achieves Net-Zero emissions. We also support their Buy an Acre programme, helping local communities to buy and protect natural habitats in perpetuity, ensuring the protection of the reserve and its wildlife.
Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.
This trip is for experienced hikers and fit individuals only, so you'll need to arrive prepared for a big challenge. You don't need technical experience, but you should have prior winter hiking experience. You will need to do cardio and endurance exercise 3-5 days a week and do hikes that involve steep ascents at least twice a month in the three months leading up to your trip.
Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
Tips are not included in the trip cost. The amount to tip is entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip in the USA; your guides will rely on tips for a considerable portion of their income.
We suggest to budget for 10%-20% of the trip cost as a guideline.
Of course, you are free to tip more or less, and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.
Drinking water is available at the lodge and you'll carry all the water you need for the hike.
Mt. Washington specifically is known as home to some of the worst weather in the world, and is characterized by unpredictable, often severe weather (that's a big part of what makes it a challenging mountain, even though it's a shorter mountain), so this is a tough question - the weather will vary. A lot. The temperatures with windchill can easily drop into the negatives (Farenheight). As per the kit list, you should be able to cover all exposed skin, including your face.
Room is limited in the van, so participants should only bring their backpack and one small extra item, such as a duffel bag, for any extras.
Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.
Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.
Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.
We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!
We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.
If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.
All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.
You're always in good company on one of our adventures.
Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.
Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.
It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.
Don't just take our word for it:
- 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
- 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
- 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends
See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.
Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.
Our team of Adventure Hunters create exclusive adventures with highly vetted, specialist hosts. We only work with independent, local in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. See here for more info about the local teams we partner with.
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Connect before you go
You'll be invited to join a WhatsApp group to get to know each other before your big adventure together.
DEPARTURE DATES
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