skiable approaches to NH 4k's

[MarkL]

Which NH 4k's have skiable approaches? I'm looking to save time and knees compared to snowshoeing. I'm especially interested in doing this for the more remote peaks, but don't know if the terrain and logical route choice make skiing practical.
Thanks.

 

[--M.]

I just bought David Goodman's "Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Classic Ski and Snowboard Tours in Maine and New Hampshire" (AMC Books, give your outdoor reading business to http://mountainwanderer.com/).

I can personally attest to Zealand, the Old Jackson Road (into the Great Gulf), Jackson's Black Mountain Cabin trail, Monadnock's Pumpelly trail, the Hancocks & the Pemi trails from Lincoln Woods, and the Ethan Pond Trail (which gets back into the Pemi and provides a route to Mount Willey). The Wild River system from the north is all skiable. The Greeley Ponds Trail gets you to Osceola (if not up it) and of course there's all of Waterville Valley, although I've never skied there.

I hear the Garfield Trail is a classic, and Goodman mentions several others as well (including Chocorua from the Champney Falls Trail).

The easiest of these by far was the Zealand Road (which gets you Hale as well).

I've been able to do much more with my knees since getting in shape and visiting the doctor (for NSAIDs).

Good luck!

--M.

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

The easiest of these by far was the Zealand Road (which gets you Hale as well).

Hale can also be done by the Firewarden's Trail, lots of great glade skiing either before or after bagging the peak!

I have more than once seen ski tracks on the Crawford Path. Moosilauke is skiable, classic loop is up Gorge Brook, down by Carriage Road and Snapper Trail.

 

[David Metsky]

Moosilauke, Garfield, and Hale can be skied from trailhead to summit fairly easily. Anything in the Pemi will benefit from the approaches on the Wilderness Trail, Cedar Brook, Franconia Brook, or Lincoln Brook trails. You can ski up the Livermore Road as part of the Tripyramids, or ski into Greeley Ponds for East Osceola. The Tripoli Road makes a good ski in to Osceola.

 

[dr_wu002]

maybe all of them.

-Dr. Wu

 

[dug]

I second Goodman's book. You can also add Waumbek & Kinsmans (from Mt. Kinsman Trail via Easton to Noon Peak). Many can get you close, where you have to switch to shoes or crampons for the final. I've done quite a few like that.

 

[RoySwkr]

If you like bushwhacking, the longest ones benefit from a common ski approach - ski up Franconia Brook Trail to Hellgate Brook, roughly 5.5 miles from hwy

Owls Head is a steep 1.5 mi bushwhack from here, mostly in birches. I have seen a straggler who came in after breaking was done do RT from hwy in ~6 hours

For Bonds, you can ski roughly a mile up Hellgate Brook in birches before switching to snowshoes and you are within 2 miles of the summits which can be done as a loop

 

[DougPaul]

Owls Head is a steep 1.5 mi bushwhack from here, mostly in birches.

Owls Head is also skiable to the summit via the NW ridge.

Doug

 

[MarkL]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I should have mentioned my level of skiing. It sounds like quite a few of these suggestions will be beyond me, so I'll have to go over them while carefully looking at a map to see what's appropriate for me.

 

[--M.]

Fear not: lots are easy, at least to start, and then you can switch to shoes.

Zealand, the Hancocks approach, the Lincoln Woods trails could all be skied by novices on skinny skis. The Wild River, too, although that's a LONG drive out there.