East Coast Snow Conditions, 2011-12 NOT "The Thread

Grant · Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 1:21 pm Post subject:

Great shots, Bob T.

Maybe drop them in the hiking stoke thread to keep it from being overwhelmed by western pics!
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Sawyer · Joined: 27 Mar 2009 Posts: 916 Location: 802

On my trip down the Long Trail, I noticed some pretty blatant thinning on the Chin Clip side of things....I don't remember that from two years ago....
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Dirk · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 5340 Location: Vermont

Chin Clip has been "improved" for many years now. It's a pretty high traffic area.

Sawyer · Joined: 27 Mar 2009 Posts: 916 Location: 802

Sheesh, glad I ski elsewhere...
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Congrats. You've just discovered what [this] forum is all about. -x-eff
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Tele will always be a coveted art form, and a certain segment will always gravitate towards it.-climbhoser

rsireland3 · Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:28 pm Post subject:

Jonathan S · Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 1484 Location: Amherst, Mass.

After a very nice Otto-assisted outing on May 19, my next Mt Washington visit kept getting delayed as the weather windows were rare . . . but the stars sure did align for yesterday -- or make that, the skies sure did clear!

The usual view from just past HoJo's -- except, where's all the snow?

I headed to Lower Sluice, and after inspecting the 120 vertical feet of snow from various vantage points for undermining (probably spending far more time than I would eventually skiing it...), and even marking my intended stopping point with a distinctive cube-shaped rock, I ditched my ski gear and headed to the summit where I snapped a self-portrait:

Whoops, that was March 2 ... so this time I had to deal not with freezing fog, etc., but instead with various motorized sightseers to await my turn at the mobbed summit -- always amazing the transformation the summit undergoes each spring:

Here's a view of the remaining snow (except for Left Gully) while descending back into Tux:

While transitioning to ski gear, I finally remembered to take a picture of a rather grim reminder -- I heard its mate was found earlier (either last month or the preceding month). I had retrieved it via an off-trail scramble on my ascent, with the location in the flat area pretty much in the center of the picture:

Time to ski!

Although the snow looks kind of dirty in this picture, it skied absolutely beautifully. Some hikers took pictures, which I should receive by email soon.

I had to hurry back to southern NH to pick up my wife and daughter at the in-laws, but still time for one last parting shot:

I was making decent time back down the TRT, when to my surprise I was overtaken -- at about twice the pace! Granted this guy didn't have any ski gear, but still, I probably couldn't keep up that pace just for a hundred feet, let alone all the way down from wherever he had come.
So I caught up (sort of...) with him in the parking lot. His English wasn't great (Quebecois?), but still, I'm nearly 100% certain that he conveyed:
-- his route was up LH to summit;
-- down through Tux; and,
-- in a roundtrip time of (brace yourself) -- 2:25!
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robrox · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 1:13 pm Post subject:

Thanks Jon, nice reportage and pix!

....and, whomever that was, Holy Mustangs, Batman, that's a fast gallop!

weekendpinhead · Joined: 08 Feb 2007 Posts: 152 Location: SF

Dirk · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 5340 Location: Vermont

Nice, Jonathan. Glad you had good weather. The days are long gone when I'd carry skis all that way to ski that much snow. Hats off to you.

Bob T · Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2012 2:27 pm Post subject:

Very nice snowcone turns Jonathan. Dedication.

edgeworker · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 3279

There's still skiing? Who knew. Seems like months ago I stopped - oh it was. Way to get after it.

skituxnoob · Joined: 11 Mar 2008 Posts: 101 Location: Hartford, CT

robrox · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 12:55 pm Post subject:

Jonathan S · Joined: 07 Dec 2004 Posts: 1484 Location: Amherst, Mass.

Finally received the photos taken by some hikers last week.
Looking back on it, hard to believe I was skiing back then . . .
although come to think of it, hard to believe I was skiing even at the time!

Here I am looking very carefully at my heel piece to ensure I'm really in (having forgotten what it felt like after over three weeks without skiing):

And having completed what I sure hope were my minimum of ten turns (although I forgot to count), here I am looking down at the drop-off down below to confirm that the distinctive cube-like rock I'd placed on the snow down and to my left to mark my intended exit is indeed the same rock in the same position as I had intended:

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yardsale2 · Joined: 20 Feb 2007 Posts: 560 Location: Vermont

Hey JS.
Who took the photos?
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