MarkL
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2003
- Messages
- 257
- Reaction score
- 31
Very thin snow at bottom of Toll Road, but it was packed and skiable. Snow depth gradually increased on the way up. About an inch of powder at the bottom, increasing to 3", maybe more higher up.
Very little bare pavement. On the inside of the Lake Placid Turn there was an inch or less of unbonded powder on the pavement, ready to blow off quite easily. But from the middle to the outside of the turn there was plenty of snow to ski on. At the Wilmington Turn it was best to stay to the outside of the turn but there was still a 50' section that wasn't skiable. On the way down I was able to walk it carefully. From here up, there was ice under the snow and in many spots the snow hadn't bonded to the ice. There were occasional stretches of bare pavement from here to the lower castle, but again, plenty of skiable snow alongside.
I used insteps from the lower castle to the summit. Some guys from a school in Lake Placid who caught up to me a mile below the lower castle went ahead to the summit. I don't know if they used traction, or just grabbed the railings for dear life. There were a couple of signs at the summit saying no crampons. This meant on the boardwalks. I was able to walk on the front part of my feet and the insteps on the heel didn't damage anything. I don't know how I would have worked it with full crampons.
On the way down, the ski track made by the 5-6 guys from LP was well packed and faster than I cared for from time to time. But there was plenty of untouched powder on the rest of the road and I occasionally used that for a speed check. It went shhhhhhh! A nice ride down by headlamp.
Very little bare pavement. On the inside of the Lake Placid Turn there was an inch or less of unbonded powder on the pavement, ready to blow off quite easily. But from the middle to the outside of the turn there was plenty of snow to ski on. At the Wilmington Turn it was best to stay to the outside of the turn but there was still a 50' section that wasn't skiable. On the way down I was able to walk it carefully. From here up, there was ice under the snow and in many spots the snow hadn't bonded to the ice. There were occasional stretches of bare pavement from here to the lower castle, but again, plenty of skiable snow alongside.
I used insteps from the lower castle to the summit. Some guys from a school in Lake Placid who caught up to me a mile below the lower castle went ahead to the summit. I don't know if they used traction, or just grabbed the railings for dear life. There were a couple of signs at the summit saying no crampons. This meant on the boardwalks. I was able to walk on the front part of my feet and the insteps on the heel didn't damage anything. I don't know how I would have worked it with full crampons.
On the way down, the ski track made by the 5-6 guys from LP was well packed and faster than I cared for from time to time. But there was plenty of untouched powder on the rest of the road and I occasionally used that for a speed check. It went shhhhhhh! A nice ride down by headlamp.
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