This is my favorite winter day trip in the adks, and I don't think there's a better loop.
This was my 4th time around this loop. Weather, a day off from work, and a partner have to come together, so I only get on it about once every 3 years.
The climb was tough this year. There was a lot of deep snow and several layers. Avy risk was moderate to high on the slides, so we needed to stay just inside the tree margin. That meant lots of postholing in spruce traps and crawling. On the SE side, though, the sun had baked down the layers into a consolidated, hard base, which just had the 4" or so of fresh from Thursday night on it, so the skiing was terrific.
As far as gear:
Boots: Scarpa T1.
Skis: Karhu Guide 165
Bindings: Voile hybrid (tour/ski switchable)
Skins: Old Voile snakeskins
Crampons: Grivel G2
Tools: Long axe and one short tool
I've been on tele exclusively for lift served skiing and for the backcountry for about 15 years now. I've used lighter boots, but I'm really spoiled by the way the T1's ski, so I use them for everything. Now that I have the thermo liner version, it's lighter and warmer, so it's even better.
I just got the ski set up this season. I used to be on Catamounts. I've been watching and hoping for years for a ski with a decent turning sidecut shape, but with a waxless base, and these are new this year. My partner was on Rossi T4 (lift served ski). I was a lot faster on the mild (non skin) uphills; he was a lot faster on the mild downhills. But overall, I love the setup! Skis turn great, I can ski everything at Whiteface on them, and with the bindings on the "tour" setting, I can run up hills.
I know snakeskins are universally derided in the real serious backcountry ski circles, because they don't glide well, and they are not great on traverses. But for walking up a trail, they're fine, and I don't have to screw with glue.
The Lisa, yes, we soloed the dike with one axe and one tool. Caveat: that's dependent on conditions and experience. I've been in the dike when the second waterfall was completely buried by snow, and the whole climb was a snow climb. I've also been in there when the second waterfall was about 25' of near vertical ice. So the equipment and protection desired will vary.
For slides this weekend, make sure you and your partners have your avy heads on. We brought the beacons on 3/29. The dike was very solid, with the snow anchored by terrain features. The 4" or so of fresh from Thursday night was a little wind deposited, and there had been some surface sloughs, which you can see in one of the pix. Before we headed out toward the slide, we put on the beacons. We hadn't traversed more than 20' when we triggered a small slough that ran right around us. It was light snow, and the deeper layers stayed put, so it wasn't a hazard, but it was pretty exciting. We tool a good look at the multiple layers, and decided we better stay in the trees. A full thickness avalanche would not be survivable up there (remember Yvon's pix from last year?). So be careful!
Here's a few more pix:
The trudge to Lake Arnold has me wondering.
