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The Outdoor Program uses two main ice-climbing venues – Kinsman Notch and the Auburn Ice Canyon. Kinsman Notch, located in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, is home to a small group of ice flows. One section of this area provides an ideal setting to stage three ice-climbs for beginners. The Auburn Ice Canyon, located near Worcester, Massachusetts, is an artificial canyon cut to transport water. A large tunnel comes out of a hillside and into a 60 ft deep canyon blasted out of the bedrock. Ground water and melt water flowing from the surrounding hills drain down the canyon walls, providing a number of different climbing opportunities. Auburn is only an hour from Milton (as opposed to two hours for Kinsman) and the canyon floor is very flat, making it a great place to teach beginners how to swing ice tools. The climbs, however, are more challenging than Kinsman. A typical trip begins with an explanation of the gear used and its proper fit. Students are given a talk about safety, so they are aware of the potential dangers of the activity and can intelligently participate in risk management. An instructor demonstrates the proper use of crampons and ice axes, and students practice swinging the axes into the ice at the bottom of the climbs. Climbers then take turns ascending different climbs. “Ice-climbing appeals to a lot of kids”, says ODP Director Matt Bingham. “It gets them out of the house or dorm, out in the fresh air, and there is definitely something cathartic about wacking ice with a bunch of medieval looking tools!” [Learn
About the Milton Academy Outdoor Program]
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Mt. Washington, New Hampshire attracts national participants to
its annual event “Chicks with Picks,” a two-day, women’s ice-climbing
clinic. This year, the Milton Academy Outdoor Program hosted a similar
trip. Eight Milton Academy students joined Outdoor Program Director
Matt Bingham for ice-climbing on the Auburn Ice Canyon near Worcester,
Massachusetts. In addition to Auburn Ice Canyon, Milton students
ice-climbed Kinsman Notch in New Hampshire twice this winter and
plan to climb again on Sunday, February 13. 