Skiing Mount Marcy: video

[Explorer Editor]

Yesterday a friend and I skied Mount Marcy. The trail was in great shape, but above tree line, the wind was fierce, and the summit was a complete whiteout. I made several short videos on the descent. I posted one of them on my Outtakes blog on the Adirondack Explorer website. It's the mellow 1.2-mile stretch along Phelps Brook. Click here to watch it.

 

[audrey]

Beautiful! That was a vicarious pleasure, for sure. I watched it twice.

 

[Explorer Editor]

Thanks for the comment. Glad you liked it.

 

[Tony]

Wow

This was great. I really enjoyed the point-of-view aspect. It almost made me feel like I was skiing through those beautiful woods with you. Of course, I would have hit that tree!

 

[PA Ridgerunner]

Great stuff, Phil! thanks for sharing.

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

Thanks that was great. I haven't skied in quite a few years... brought back memories without the lumps!

 

[Chip]

that's great ! what kind of strap/camera combo were you using ?

 

[Explorer Editor]

It was an Olympus 1030SW, which is shockproof and waterproof, perfect for my job. I once dropped it on a rock climb and watched it bound down the cliff. It survived. I bought a silicone skin for the camera, cut a slot for a strap, and used an ordinary cinch strap to fasten the camera to my chest.

 

[ROCKYSUMMIT]

Sounds perfect!

 

[Daniel Eagan]

What a great video. Conditions looked just right for me: slow enough so I could stop without my usual sit-down method.

How were the steeper sections?

 

[Explorer Editor]

Daniel, there are several steeper sections above the Phelps Brook section, including the summit bowl, the Corkscrew, and parts of the skier's bypass between the brook and Indian Falls. Also, the trail is often narrow. These are harder than the stretch in the video. I do plan to post videos of other parts in the future. These should give you a better idea of what to expect.

 

[Head]

Nice! Really enjoyed the ride

 

[Tuggy]

Cool Video!

 

[Adk_dib]

How do you slow down on those narrow trails without wiping out? They look like it is hard to snowplow.

 

[TCD]

Any way you can! Here are a few ways:

If the trail is relatively level from side to side, you can usually feather a rear edge or even a front edge periodically, even if it's not a full snowplow.

Try to get at least one ski in softer snow. If you see an opening, loop through the woods and back onto the trail.

Snowplow anyway, and let your ski tails bang against trees and brush.

Make lots of little turns.

Drag poles.

Grab stuff.

Crash through small brush when available.

All this stuff can be tried before the last resort, which is to fall before you get going too fast.

The most difficult trail condition is when the trail is polished into a icy half pipe (we faced this once on the way down from Lake Arnold). Then you have to either tolerate frequent falls; put skins on; or switch out of skiis to something else like snowshoes or crampons.

TCD

 

[DougPaul]

All this stuff can be tried before the last resort, which is to fall before you get going too fast.

Good list--pretty much any way you can...

You can also put sticky wax on the skis to increase drag.

The most difficult trail condition is when the trail is polished into a icy half pipe (we faced this once on the way down from Lake Arnold). Then you have to either tolerate frequent falls; put skins on; or switch out of skiis to something else like snowshoes or crampons.

If you hit ice with skins on, your skis will stop very suddenly. You may not.

Three guesses how I learned this...

Doug