The incredible roster of guides is still coming in hot folks! Tonight we want to welcome back four more awesome ice climbing guides to the 2018 Mount Washington Valley Ice Fest. They have all spent numerous winters guiding ice in New Hampshire, although 3 out of the four are traveling from quite some distances just to just us for the event! Elliot Gaddy is flying in from Alaska, Karsten Delap is coming up from North Carolina, Ryan Stefiuk is driving over from Western Massachusetts, and Erik Eisele is just an hour away in Portland, Maine these days. Learn a little more about each of these wonderful people and guides below, and we are psyched to have them all back!
Left Photo: Xander Bianchi Right Photo: Evan Kay
MWV ICE FEST: Hey Karsten, why do you keep coming back to NH each winter?
KARSTEN: NH ice is the best! The ease of access to get to rad technical ice climbing make NH one of the best areas in the world to climb ice. You spend less time walking and more time climbing. And of course seeing all the people year after year and developing the lasting friendships!
Photos by: Brian Threlkeld
Erik Eisele is a hard man to track down these days. When he isn’t out climbing, he is busy snorkeling in some crystalline waters, writing for the Portland Phoenix, or guiding trips to Cuba. So when we pinned him down for some Ice Fest clinics, we were psyched! The guy is a fantastic climber (sponsored by Trango) and an excellent guide. He also boasts a climbing resume that includes sending M11 and establishing FAs up to M8.
MWV ICE FEST: Hey, Elliot. New Hampshire misses ya, but we know Alaska is pretty cool too. We’re so stoked to have ya back this year, what do you dig about guiding in New Hampshire?
ELLIOT: That’s a tough question to answer concisely, one that probably has a lot more to it than simple logistics. Guiding in AK lets me know a lot about what I like about guiding in NH. I really like the access to high quality routes. Drinking coffee at Frontside Grind, and than 30 minutes later at the base of Repentance. Hard to beat that. Its also really valuable to have a community of guides who all share information and ideas. Both of those things make NH my absolute favorite place to guide ice.
Left Photo: Silas Rossi Right Photo: Anne Skidmore
Ryan Stefiuk lives in Northampton Massachusetts and has been guiding in the United States, mostly in the northeast, for more than a decade and he is a AMGA Certified Rock Guide. Ryan has spent the past three years gaining additional training as an RN and recently graduated an accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program at UMass Amherst. As a climber he has really focused on winter climbing and he has climbed extensively in the Catskills in southern NY and in the fjords of western Newfoundland. Ryan has established several first ascents in both areas over the past ten years. As a guide he is really focused on providing high quality instruction that helps guests learn comfortably and easily.