Nice photos yad and Russ! I haven't been to Mt. Washington in years - I hate the crowds and it's a long drive when there's still stuff to ski in Vermont. Scrolling through your photos is making me reconsider though.
Failed to make the 3.5 miles into Nancy Pond on Saturday. Thought we had an early enough start. I made the mistake of starting on skins, which slowed us down on the first mile. Second mile was skin-mandatory but rough going. Lots of washed out stream crossings, a section of minor trail wash out (Irene damage?). The next mile (or less?) up the switchbacks by the cascades were crampon and post-hole misery. Several uncleared downed trees and very slow going. Snowshoes would have been impossible there due to the steepness and amount of slabbing side hill. Got above the switchback around 1pm with another moderate but skiable climb to Nancy pond for another .5 mile or so, but we left our aging legs on the switchbacks.
Funny, I did that trip about 10 years ago in cold dry conditions on skinny skis and wax most of the way up to and above the switchbacks and with no memorable crossings. Amazing the difference snow conditions make, as well another 10 years on my legs.
Hopefully, a more complete TR with pics soon. The Nancy Cascades area is just a stunning, stunning boreal headwall. Old growth is way cool. _________________ Dave "Pinnah" Mann
========================
"It is impossible, or not easy, to do noble acts without the proper equipment."
Aristotle, <<Politics>>, 1323a-b, trans Jowett
Failed to make the 3.5 miles into Nancy Pond on Saturday. Thought we had an early enough start. I made the mistake of starting on skins, which slowed us down on the first mile. Second mile was skin-mandatory but rough going. Lots of washed out stream crossings, a section of minor trail wash out (Irene damage?). The next mile (or less?) up the switchbacks by the cascades were crampon and post-hole misery. Several uncleared downed trees and very slow going. Snowshoes would have been impossible there due to the steepness and amount of slabbing side hill. Got above the switchback around 1pm with another moderate but skiable climb to Nancy pond for another .5 mile or so, but we left our aging legs on the switchbacks.
Funny, I did that trip about 10 years ago in cold dry conditions on skinny skis and wax most of the way up to and above the switchbacks and with no memorable crossings. Amazing the difference snow conditions make, as well another 10 years on my legs.
Hopefully, a more complete TR with pics soon. The Nancy Cascades area is just a stunning, stunning boreal headwall. Old growth is way cool.
Oh what the hell. You got a great workout in a beautiful part of the Whites. Sounds good to me.
70+ and sunny...enjoyable but tiring
me
sprinkles
more here
a bit of video too _________________ 28 pages of blah, blah, blah. -Grant
Congrats. You've just discovered what [this] forum is all about. -x-eff
...
Tele will always be a coveted art form, and a certain segment will always gravitate towards it.-climbhoser
Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 490 Location: Getting closer...
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 2:19 am Post subject:
Pinnah wrote:
Failed to make the 3.5 miles into Nancy Pond on Saturday. Thought we had an early enough start. I made the mistake of starting on skins, which slowed us down on the first mile. Second mile was skin-mandatory but rough going. Lots of washed out stream crossings, a section of minor trail wash out (Irene damage?). The next mile (or less?) up the switchbacks by the cascades were crampon and post-hole misery. Several uncleared downed trees and very slow going. Snowshoes would have been impossible there due to the steepness and amount of slabbing side hill. Got above the switchback around 1pm with another moderate but skiable climb to Nancy pond for another .5 mile or so, but we left our aging legs on the switchbacks.
Funny, I did that trip about 10 years ago in cold dry conditions on skinny skis and wax most of the way up to and above the switchbacks and with no memorable crossings. Amazing the difference snow conditions make, as well another 10 years on my legs.
Hopefully, a more complete TR with pics soon. The Nancy Cascades area is just a stunning, stunning boreal headwall. Old growth is way cool.
Hi Dave,
I and a couple of friends might be trying to make that trip this coming Sunday. I was just reading that the old growth starts at the cascades, then goes up to Nancy Pond. I didn't make it that far, and I want to see it! (I'm hooked on finding first-growth forests.)
I went up as far as the cascades a couple of years ago, end of April. There was no snow from the trailhead to where you can look up Duck Pond Mt (I think). Then there were patches of hip-deep snow between big boulders. Rough going. I guess you found more snow than that this past weekend?
You needed full crampons? Was that for ice alongside the falls? Would microspikes be completely inadequate?
Since snowshoes would have been impossible there, I'm wondering if you have any advice for how to get as far as Nancy Pond in a day. I'll be with two buddies, one of whom only has an AT setup, the other has various skinny ski and XCD setups. For me, I was thinking CXT's or Extremes and a pair of fish-scaled Outtabounds, along with climbing skins and crampons.
You think we have a chance of getting to Nancy Pond?
-- _________________ _________
Roll over, Zdarsky!
Joined: 18 Jan 2006 Posts: 490 Location: Getting closer...
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 2:26 am Post subject:
Gunks Ray wrote:
benny wrote:
Rick Cronk wrote:
Highland, I couldn't cut out for Belle today as planned. . I have to leave there by noon to make it to work in Central Valley by 2pm. Maybe Wed definitely Friday. They have events planned through the 25th, so they are open at least through this coming weekend. All seasonal staff are done as of the 31st. They've still got a fair amount of runs open, though I'm not sure of coverage.
The website indicates plans to be open through 4/14. Think this is oversight and simply not updated?
Can anybody that skied there yesterday give a conditions report?
I was there yesterday, very warm out and the snow is going real fast, can't believe there will be much left after today, nearly 80 in New Paltz
Melt outs on Belleayre Run, Wanatuska, Dot Neble. Seneca was in good shape but the best run was upper Onteora, great big soft bumps and full cover, but had to ski through brown slush and pools to get back to the triple.
Tony says Belleayre will be open next weekend "somehow" but there won't be much left except upper Onteora and maybe Wanatuska.
I'll be at Huntah on Wed. solo, the wife has already called it quits, to hot and slushy for her, might be my last day, pretty short season considering how late it started, still got in over 30 days, not bad considering I broke my ankle last day in Oct. and I need surgery on my right knee as well. I would have loved to get up to Tucks but my knee can't take much more and the ankle still doesn't bend to good for hiking.
I was at Belleayre today (Tues, 3/20). Like Ray said, the upper part of Onteora was the best run. There was a strip of nice mogul stuff along Belleayre, but that'll be gone soon. Wanatuska was good too, but again, only the upper section. The lower sections were getting variable, from some nice corn, to some mushy mashed stuff, to some slippery water ice, to grass, mud and stones.
The piles of snow along the ridgetop were getting mighty small.
Dot Nebel was closed, I believe. I don't think the Tomahawk lift was open. I never got there, at any rate, and nobody I met mentioned it.
That 4/14 closing date is probably from an old site update. That's not happening...
The consensus was that they'll be able to limp through this weekend and that will be it.
--
Forgot to mention -- You can't stay on snow from Lift 7 to the quad. There are long bare patches along the ridge. _________________ _________
Roll over, Zdarsky!
Joined: 18 Aug 2006 Posts: 2080 Location: Bellingham
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 2:43 am Post subject:
Eastcoasters, quit your jobs, leave yer families, slaughter the chickens, and blow off the weak impending whitewater season, and get out to Mt. Baker and the BC coast ranges!
I have suffered the indignities of being a diehard NE skier and suggest, for your mental health, check out the PNW this spring.
No, don't think that weather will be great, or that the snow will be perfect, but you might just capture the winter that just gave you all the finger...
Joined: 17 Feb 2006 Posts: 2329 Location: VerMonster
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:14 am Post subject:
Mr. T wrote:
No, don't think that weather will be great, or that the snow will be perfect, but you might just capture the winter that just gave you all the finger...
Was out in Idaho for a week earlier this month, it won't take much to make me want to move there forever. _________________ I like to go skiing.
Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 8538 Location: The Sun Mountain Town
Posted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 11:03 am Post subject:
JoshTheSkier wrote:
Was out in Idaho for a week earlier this month, it won't take much to make me want to move there forever.
Have you shaved your head and taken up firearms peddling at gun shows? If so, you'll fit right in! _________________ Vermont, Canada and Venezuela all offer you the opportunity to live in the socialist, big government paradise you long for.
-Marco Rubio
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