Hidden Gulley Hijinks - 1

One of the realities of Vermont in the winter is that water freezes. Can't paddle it, can't cast through it, just the way it is. Luckily, with rivers of the horizontal variety being pretty much useless, rivers of the vertical variety come into their own with that wonderful mix of water and cold.

My friend Tom and I have been climbing VT's ice together for almost a decade now, and one of our favorite climbs is Hidden Gulley in Smuggler's Notch (the steep gap between Stowe and Smuggler's Notch ski resorts). By no means is it a steep, super technical climb, but it is quite possibly the longest climb in the Notch, and it brings you up into an amazing alpine environment, with sections only barely visible from below. The climb itself is a mix of snow and ice, through a tight gulley, into a snow bowl, up through a tiny ice funnel, and into a grand ice amphitheater, with 3 different ice routes staring down at you. The longest of which is the middle, and that was our intended route for the day.

With bluebird conditions and temps in the teens, we took a day for one of the Notch's classics.

After a hike up the closed road, the upper amphitheater of the route enters into partial view (top right photo). After climbing a snow gulley (top left photo, Tom), you get to the small entrance of the bottom gulley pitch (bottom right photo). You enter the snow bowl (bottom left, Tom) after a few bulges of ice, and there's a good belay/rap tree on the right. There's a great view of Stowe behind you (upper, bottom left photo) and the ice routes on the other side of the notch.

...to be continued...