Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! All of us at IMCS and IME hope you had a wonderful holiday. We're having an epic winter up here in the North Country---keeping everyone in cheerful spirits.

If you're thinking about buying any new ice gear this winter, you should consider coming up to the Gear Demo at Ice Fest. All the leading gear companies will be here with the latest and greatest boots, ice tools, crampies, and more for you to check out and try on your own before you buy. No purchase is necessary and there are no entrance fees for the demo.

We still have slots open in our skills clinics during Ice Fest! Improve your steep ice or dry-tooling skills! Know how to perform a rescue on ice? Brush up on your self-rescue skills at our ice rescue course! Call IMCS 603-356-7064 today to book your spot.

Spread The Word

Our poster is officially done! They will be spread all over New England and further! Please let us know if you know a specific place where it should be up! Such as a new store, gym, or college outing club! Just click on "comment" below this post and let us know! We would be psyched to reach out to all places that have an interest!

Showing: New England premier of HIGHER GROUND

Mark your calendars! The Mount Washington Valley Ice Festival will host the New England premier of Higher Ground, a new climbing flick by Alex Lavigne and Chris Alstrin of HG Productions. We will be showing excerpts from the film on Saturday, February 9, starting at 7:30 pm at the Cranmore Fitness Center climbing wall.

From the Higher Ground website:
"Documenting a yearlong journey as seen through the eyes of a selection of world-class
climbers. Higher Ground focuses on the importance of exploration, passion for the mountains and those who pursue the lifestyle."

2008 Ice Fest SKILLS CLINICS

Want to improve your swing? Become a more efficient ice leader?

Want to push your mountain skills to the next level?

Check out the 2008 Mt. Washington Valley Ice Festival SKILLS CLINICS, offered by the International Mountain Climbing School. A list of all the clinics can be found on the Ice Fest web page. Don't find what you're looking for? Call the IMCS office (603-356-7064) and let us tailor a clinic to your needs.

Clinics this year include:

• Steep waterfall ice climbing skills with Ben Gilmore


• Fast and Light: Efficient alpine climbing techniques with Colin Haley


• Women's alpine snow and ice skills with Majka Burhardt


• Women's steep waterfall ice climbing skills


• Two-day ice leader skills with Bob Baribeau


• Two-day glacier travel and crevasse rescue


• Snow and ice anchors clinic


• Alpine-style primer climb


• One-day ice leader refresher course

Register now! Mark Synnott's Introduction to Mixed Climbing CLINIC

Looking to try something new?

Sign up for Mark Synnott's clinic: An Introduction to Mixed Climbing, held Thursday and Friday during Ice Fest (Feb 7 and Feb 8). Mark, an athlete for The North Face and a Mount Washington Valley local, will help bring your winter climbing into a whole new dimension. Petzl is proud to sponsor Mark and this Ice Fest clinic.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot now by calling the IMCS office (603-356-7064).

FREE BEER!

That's right, folks, the Mount Washington Valley Ice Festival now has an official beer sponsor! What more could an ice climber want???

Headlining Sponsors Announced!

We are proud to announce the headlining sponsors for 2008: Asolo, Lowe Alpine, and Mammut! Thanks to the generous support of these companies, the 2008 Ice Fest is shaping up to be the best yet! Be sure to check out these companies' booths at the gear demo, upstairs at IME every day of the festival (Feb 7-10). And remember, the gear demo is free and open to the public! Yea!