Named for Noel O’dell, the first to make a winter ascent of the gully in 1930, the route is considered to be of moderate difficulty for experienced winter climbers.

O’dell was with George Mallory and Andrew Irvine when that famous pair failed to make it back to camp after attempting to climb Mount Everest in June 1924. He was among unsuccessful searchers who reached the 28,000-foot level of Everest while combing the flanks for his friends.

O’dell’s Gully is one of nine rocky troughs feeding into Huntington Ravine on the east slope of New Hampshire’s Mount Washington. It’s reached via the Huntington Ravine trail, which branches off of the Tuckerman Ravine trail from Pinkham Notch.

Climbers, armed with mountaineering axes and wearing crampons, face a 30 to 40 degree snow slope when beginning the route. That’s followed by increasing ice, resulting in three pitches that generally require climbers to set ice screws and use ropes.

The gully climb continues at varying steepness over ice and ice bulges until it reaches the upper section of the ravine. From there, climbers face a 50 to 55 degree snow slope leading to cairns marking the Alpine Garden Trail.

Climbers can continue to the summit of Mount Washington from here or return to Pinkham Notch via the Lion Head Winter Route.

Source: Summitpost.org