5:29 pm Fri January 11, 2013  The White Mountains: Training
Ground For The Greats    Wilkinson: Let’s just stop here and put
on crampons and helmet. This is kinda like the bunny hill. On a
ten degree day the ice is much more brittle and you have to work
a lot harder.  Wilkinson is a lot of things: a wiry good-natured
ice and rock climbing guide based in North Conway, who fills out
the off-seasons with writing for climbing magazines, and has
written a book about an alpine expedition gone wrong. And
increasingly, at age 33, he’s a little bit of a legend. We bump
into another group of crampon-clad, pick-weilding outdoors-folk.
The consummate mountain guide. Wilkinson can't help but give ice
climbing pointers to those who surround him. Credit Sam Evans-
Brown / NHPR  Evans-Brown: You know any of these cats?
Wilkinson: This is Joanne! Hey Joanne!  Veilleux: Hey guys,
what’s happening. This is Freddie Wilkinson, have you heard
about him. He’s just a local guy, lives in a cabin.    We meet
another local ice climber