Any NH backcountry skiing ideas?

[andrewb]

I am trying to think up as many bc skiing spots as possible in the white mountain area based on the criteria below, and I only have a few ideas. As a side note, Mittersill WOULD have been on the list, but now that it's a restricted area, we can cross that off the list. Thank you so very much, Cannon!

Chime in if you have any more:

Needs to be:
-below treeline / reasonably sheltered
-not wicked steep (IE no slides)

I have only 3 ideas
- Hale glades on west slopes
- Cardigan - many options
- Moosilauke Carriage Road

Any more ideas? Thanks

 

[David Metsky]

Pick up a copy of David Goodman's AMC's Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast. All the stuff that people are willing to post online will be in there.

 

[--M.]

Ahhh, dear to my heart. Too bad about this winter.

Everyone has his or her favorites, but I recommend these: First, the Goodman book is a win-win: it's well-written and engaging (vicarious skiing!), most informative and helpful, and buying it locally will help the good people of New Hampshire.

I'm not on the advanced level for free-heel, I'd say a blue-square equivalent, but I've really enjoyed these:
==Wildcat Valley Ski Trail: tops, absolutely, combining the fun of downhill with the beauty, silence and total immersion of hiking. Be prepared for a long workout and therefore use light gear. I did it in WAY too much heavy powder on mid-weight tele gear and had a long slog out. Would really appreciate another opportunity.
==Chocorua/Champney Falls: watch out for getting whipped in the face on the way down, but this was another beauty that had me in love. I switched to snowshoes and stood on top in short-sleeves and crampons. Transcendent.
==Lily Pond & the upper Livermore Pass: Beauty again, also very quiet (and close to the road, too!) and fun, as long as you don't mind working your way through tough spots on the trail. I saw my first bear-claw marks on a young beech there in the late-afternoon sun.
==John Sherburne and Tuckerman Holy of Holies: I'm only skilled enough for the lower half of the bowl, but it's not to be missed. I got up there with my heaviest pack ever on Friday, and was rewarded with a one-on-one session with the mountain early Saturday morning for over two hours before the horde even began to trickle in. I split when it reached a flood, and had had three hours of pure bliss.

I wonder if Tucker Brook is still an option, and would have liked to see the Thirteen Turns; maybe in the future. The Hancocks have a lovely approach, as does the Osceolas/Greeley Ponds area (but not just now, if I hear correctly, after Irene). Waterville Valley is a whole other thing, and the walking towards the Tripyramids made clear what wonderful xc that would be. I'd also love to spend a weekend heading towards & around Flat Mountain Pond. Of course, doing the run from Zealand to Lincoln Woods is also a holy-grail kind of thing (too many religious allusions by now!).

These are my personal faves & desires, or just drop by The Wanderer and get Goodman's book.

Uh, don't forget Avalanche & Indian Passes and Camp Santanoni in the DAKs.

And all this has been gone over many times here, searches will help you.

Good luck!

 

[Brambor]

I concur with the recommendation of the Goodman's book. There is plenty in there to explore and repeat with twists of variations.

 

[teleskier]

My wife and I snowshoed the Hale Brook trail on Saturday and I wished I'd been on skis - there was pretty good cover after Thursday's snowfall. If you can catch it between tomorrow's snow and Saturday's rain, I'll bet it's good...

 

[DougPaul]

I also recommend Goodman's book.

The FS maintains several WMNF XC ski trails: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/winter_activities/skiing/skiing.php WMNF Winter Recreation page: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/recreation/winter_activities/

Many of the flatter hiking trails and unplowed roads are skiable too (with adequate snow...).

Doug

 

[Brambor]

The first half of Firewardens Trail on Pleasant Mountain is actually a gentle graded road that is usually packed down wide by snowmobiles.

 

[freighttrain48]

A little of topic but I would head to northern vt for any backcountry I was at Jay yesterday and they have over 3ft of pow(no joke) their woods are right for the taking.

 

[cushetunk]

Goodman's book will get you started. The best way to find areas to ski is to go out skiing and visit some possible locations. Stop thinking about peaks; think about aspect, elevation, and forest type. Expect to be skunked. Hone your survival skiing skills, because you will need them when your "perfect glade" turns out to be an icy slope thick with beech whips.

Eventually though, you'll find a perfect glade that few others know about, and you sure won't post about it on the internet.

 

[Becca M]

You also might want to check out http://www.timefortuckerman.com/
They have some VERY interesting (and sometimes VERY extreme) trip reports, not just of Washington. It's amazing what can be done.

Also, since it's all about conditions, start looking at streams differently - many look like they can be skied/ridden!!!

 

[MichaelJ]

They have some VERY interesting (and sometimes VERY extreme) trip reports

Nothing beats Famous Internet Skiers for extreme trip reports. Take your pick from the VTah backcountry skiing in VT to the insanity of skiing down the Trap Dike.

 

[teleskier]

Goodman's book will get you started. The best way to find areas to ski is to go out skiing and visit some possible locations. Stop thinking about peaks; think about aspect, elevation, and forest type. Expect to be skunked. Hone your survival skiing skills, because you will need them when your "perfect glade" turns out to be an icy slope thick with beech whips.

Eventually though, you'll find a perfect glade that few others know about, and you sure won't post about it on the internet.

That's really good advice. There are some forums out there, T4T has already been mentioned and telemarktips.com is another very good one. But as Dave M mentioned, nobody's giving any specifics on the internet to their favorite backcountry stashes. Goodman's book(s) give you a starting point, and eventually, you build a pretty good inventory of places around the northeast to have fun.

 

[Becca M]

That's really good advice. There are some forums out there, T4T has already been mentioned and telemarktips.com is another very good one. But as Dave M mentioned, nobody's giving any specifics on the internet to their favorite backcountry stashes. Goodman's book(s) give you a starting point, and eventually, you build a pretty good inventory of places around the northeast to have fun.

.... AND if you bushwhack around in the non-snowy months, you may notice some bootleg stashes