Tag: Skiing Page 3 of 5

Today was just about perfect. I woke at 5:30 having only slept a few hours, picked up Drew, Greg and Jeff, and headed north. Three hours of driving, and one obligatory stop at Einstein’s later, we were at the Cog Railway base and faced with a crowded parking lot. Seems like other people noticed the recent snowfall and nice weather. No worries, there’s plenty of room on the mountain for everyone.

We ascended the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail, which I hadn’t climbed since I was 12. It’s steeper than I remember, but one of the more direct routes to the summit on the west side. I wasn’t in peak physical condition, thanks to my lack of sleep and thesis belly, but I made it eventually. 3.8 miles, 3700 feet and three hours later, we were at the summit with skis on. Triumphant pictures were taken, and lunch was consumed in the protective windscreen of the oldest building on the summit. We skied the back towards Lakes of the Clouds, harvesting the fresh corn that had softened in the afternoon sun. I stopped to take a nap while the other guys climbed back up for extra laps.

Video of Greg and Drew

With clouds appearing and shadows starting to creep across our exit path, we decided to pack it in around 3:30. We traversed to Lakes of the Clouds, skiing across the lake surface and down Monroe Brook. We didn’t find the steepest entrance, but the ride was still great. The lower surface was littered with debris from previous avalanches, and I was glad we were here late in the season, when the snow is already condensed. We passed the Nadya Peek memorial brook, where she fell in on this trip last year and noted her absence with a long discussion on PID controls. Got to the car around 5 exhausted, smelly and happy. Three more hours of driving and I was back home, where I collapsed in bed to sleep like the dead. The sign of a day well spent.

Skiing in May? Hells yes! With the Auto Road open, and (most) of my work done for the semester, it was a perfect time to head north and see what’s left in the hills. We drove up Friday night and camped on the Intervale platform, getting to the Auto Road at 7:30, first in line for it to open at 8. Greg of course had to go get breakfast, so we weren’t actually the first ones up, but there was still plenty left by the time we got there.

The great thing about driving up is that we had fresh legs for the descent, meaning more runs on the steeps, and less time slogging uphill. The downside of driving is the cost, $40 for a carload, and the fact that little pebbles kept getting stuck in my brake rotors and screeching like sirens. But at least I got a bumper sticker that now proclaims that my roof box “climbed Mt. Washington.”

Great Gulf was sick, as always. We did three runs, 800 feet vertical each, at over a 45 degree pitch. The hardcore guys ventured off to some even sicker terrain, but I was happy stretching my legs on Airplane’s relatively open slop. Spacewalk sounded a little too exciting for me, with a 60 degree slope and a right angle dogleg in the middle.

After our third run, the wind picked up and the weather took a drastic turn for the worse. The wind rose and our sunny spring day disappeared under the clouds. Gusts over 60 mph made the climb back to the car a little spicy with our skis acting as sails on our packs. But we all made it fine, and drove up to the summit for a “topless on top” picture. That one may not make it on the internet, due to partial nudity. But I think the rest speak for themselves.

In the aftermath of Sponsor Week, and with a four day weekend beckoning, it seemed an excellent time to head for the hills. Drove up to Greg’s “cabin” on Saturday night with Nadya and Jeff, then on to the Cog Railways station on Sunday. It was a cloudless, still day; perfect for spring skiing. We skinned up the Ammonoosuc Ravine trail to the Monroe Brook cutoff, and then started climbing.

After a long slog up the brook, we stopped for lunch just below the summit of Monroe. Took two runs down Oakes’ while Nadya and Jeff enjoyed a mountain nap. Then back down the brook, which was nice and corned up by the afternoon. Stayed at Pat’s family place, and enjoyed delicious stew a-la Jeff, and far too many Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies.

Monday we went up to Gulf of Slides, hoping we’d be able to skin all the way. While there was snow at the bottom, many of the expose steep sections were melted out, and we had fun crossing streams with our skis on. As the saying goes, “all skis are rock skis.” It wasn’t quite as sunny, but the snow was still good, and we all enjoyed the second day of strenuous exercise. Here’s hoping the autoroad will open up soon, and we can ski Great Gulf without the long hike in. Dinner at the Tilt’n Diner, as always, and then back to Boston in the rain.