New Hampshire self-arrest practice

[ADKSherpa]

Anyone know of any good spots in NH to practice self-arrest? Some type of snowfield steep and long enough with a safe runout to get some sliding in? Thanks!

 

[BISCUT]

"Safe" location on mountain will be very subjective and dependent on your daring to go high and long and your experience level. I'd hit Hunnington's or Tuck's and find a good spot, only go as high and steep as you feel comfortable with. Pick a rout with no exposed rocks and have at it. A really great spot, IMHO, is to hit a ski area like Cannon, and use a ski slope which is void of rock and objective dangers. Just know, on a steep enough slope, you will gain some serious speed that is incomprehensible to understand unless you feel it for yourself. So go slow and take 1 step at a time.

 

[DougPaul]

The upper floor of Huntington Ravine and if IIRC the Little Headwall* in Tuckerman Ravine are traditional places to practice.
* If it isn't the Little Headwall, it's the Lower Snowfall.

The floor of HR tends to have exposed rocks below the practice areas, so it may be a good idea to belay the students--boot-axe belays are likely to be sufficient. (Many climbers, both on the floor of the Ravine and on the climbs above, have been injured by falling into these rocks.)

I've never been on the Little Headwall or Lower Snowfiled in TR so I don't know what the runouts are like. However, in spring, a stream opens up below the LH and there can be crevasses in the snow. Descending skiers might also be a problem (make sure you are visible from above...).

Both areas are subject to avalanches--check the avalanche conditions before entering. I suggest that you also ask the snow rangers about the suitability of the particular areas.

Doug

 

[MichaelJ]

Sadly, I don't know what it was called, maybe the Little Headwall? I took an AMC class and we hiked up past Hojos and somewhere along there on the right was a nice snowfield with more than enough pitch for self-arrest but well out of the way of skiers and not too long, either. I'm sorry I don't remember the details, it was over 10 years ago.

 

[DayTrip]

AMC blog recently posted a brief article about self-arrest practice. Maybe you could figure out where they go in the AMC Class description.

 

[David Metsky]

Little Headwall is the ski trail down from the Bowl, and it's on the left of the Tuckerman Ravine trail when headed up from Pinkham. While it's possible to practice self-arrest there I would think it gets too moguled up and gets too much skier traffic on a normal day. The runout isn't a problem unless the stream is open.

 

[Tom Rankin]

I don't think you are allowed to be on the Cannon Mountain ski trails w/o skis, correct? And you would have to pay the day use fee...

 

[David Metsky]

Correct - Cannon won't let you practice like this.

http://www.cannonmt.com/uphill.html

 

[TEO]

Great Gully in King Ravine is a good place: if you don't get right the first time, odds are you never will.

 

[alexmtn]

I teach a 2-day AMC Above Treeline Workshop out of Pinkham, and needed to find a workable answer to the OP's question. The Day 1 agenda is boot/crampon/ice ax/gear training, setting up for a Day 2 Mt. Washington ascent via Lionhead. The trouble with all the locations mentioned above is that they're all a serious 2-3 hour hike from base, and in most cases subject to whatever the extant avalanche issues are. If we went for these, many of the students would be out of gas for the Day 2 endeavor. I've settled on two alternative locations, depending on conditions. Most convenient, there are a couple of steep-ish, wide-ish sections of the lower Sherburne ski trail that can work well in 'new England powder' conditions without interfering too badly with the skiing. However, when there are genuine powder conditions the pitches are not steep enough. In those conditions, we resort to Willey Slide, 45 minutes away in Crawford Notch. In both cases, the approach hike is easy -- i.e., less than a half hour. Of course when time, conditions and group stamina permit, the best practice of all can be had via a reprise session in the lower snow fields of the summit cone itself on the summit day. Alex

 

[Remix]

I teach a 2-day AMC Above Treeline Workshop out of Pinkham, and needed to find a workable answer to the OP's question. The Day 1 agenda is boot/crampon/ice ax/gear training, setting up for a Day 2 Mt. Washington ascent via Lionhead. The trouble with all the locations mentioned above is that they're all a serious 2-3 hour hike from base, and in most cases subject to whatever the extant avalanche issues are. If we went for these, many of the students would be out of gas for the Day 2 endeavor. I've settled on two alternative locations, depending on conditions. Most convenient, there are a couple of steep-ish, wide-ish sections of the lower Sherburne ski trail that can work well in 'new England powder' conditions without interfering too badly with the skiing. However, when there are genuine powder conditions the pitches are not steep enough. In those conditions, we resort to Willey Slide, 45 minutes away in Crawford Notch. In both cases, the approach hike is easy -- i.e., less than a half hour. Of course when time, conditions and group stamina permit, the best practice of all can be had via a reprise session in the lower snow fields of the summit cone itself on the summit day. Alex

A little thread drift but its at the end.... I am curious to know if the training occurs with a backpack on or not.

 

[B the Hiker]

Willey Slide is quite optimal, ADKSherpa. Relatively easy hike up, and a fair percentage of the people you might encounter there most likely learned to arrest there themselves. The nice thing about the location is that the only thing people are doing there is climbing and practicing arrest.

 

[DougPaul]

The upper portion of Willy slide is often technical ice and not suitable for self-arrest. I have seen the bottom filled in with snow and possibly suitable for short practice slides, however if you don't stop at the base you go into rocks and trees.

Also it is an unpatrolled area that can have icefall or avalanches from above.

So, IMO, its suitability depends on conditions and I'd be prepared to belay if there is any chance of sliding off the base of the slide.

Doug

 

[Woody]

I'd agree with practicing on the lower portion of Willey Slide, below the technical ice but above the railroad tracks. That's were I learned.

 

[alexmtn]

A little thread drift but its at the end.... I am curious to know if the training occurs with a backpack on or not.

Remix, sorry for the delay in noticing your question from 1/30. I find it most workable to get introduced to the basic moves sans backpack, and then to progress to the cargo configuration you'll be hiking with.

Alex