Sherburne Trail - 3/8/08 and Wildcat - 3/9/08 (no photos, sorry)

[snowmonster]

Date(s) Skied: 3/8/08

Resort or Ski Area: Sherburne Trail

Conditions: Wet heavy snow; foggy, visibility limited; slight shower and drizzle in the morning, heavy downpour after 2 PM; temps between 30 and 38; wind moderate to slight.

Trip Report: I got to visitor center at around 11 am and noticed that there weren't too many cars in the lot. I began the hike at around 1130 am. The snow was obviously wet and heavy from the rains the night before and early in the morning. The snow balled up under my boots (used Yak Trax for additional traction and that wasn't the best idea since they kept slipping around) and it was a slow slog up. Tucks and everything else had an avalanche warning of "Considerable" and being alone, I wasn't going to do anything too adventurous. Except for 2 other people going up, no one else was headed my way though there were a bunch of folks going down including an AMC group doing avy training.

Got to HoJo's at around 2 pm and, except for the 2 hikers on the trail with me and the caretaker, there was no one there. The rain, which was just spitting up to that point, was coming down in sheets. Tucks was socked in with fog and you couldn't see anything over the Little Headwall. Rested up, had lunch and waited for a break in the rain that didn't happen. Finally decided to make my descent at around 345 pm because the fog was coming in and it was getting dark.

The Sherburne had good cover. The snow was heavy and it was a bit tricky. I wear glasses and with the rain coming down and the fog, visibility was a huge concern. I had to stop every now and then to clean the lenses. I could see a few set of tracks in the snow but it was apparent that not too may people had been on it. The surface was actually smooth and, if it were a resort, you would think you were on a groomer (no bumps). I was actually thinking of skiing faster down certain parts of the trail but visibility and tricky snow made me ski a little conservatively.

Got to the visitor center parking lot at about 410 pm. It was basically snowmelt in there and my fat skis just skimmed the water. Clicked out just in front of the stairs leading to the lodge. Everything I had was soaked and the next hour was spent trying to dry my shirt. All in all, a challenging day which gave me a taste of what to expect at Tucks in the spring.


Date(s) Skied: 3/9/08

Resort or Ski Area: Wildcat

Conditions: Harpacked to ice, the word "bulletproof" comes to mind; cloudy, with the sun coming out around 245 pm; very strong winds; some snow showers off and on throughout the day; temp at base was 27, much much lower up top.

Trip Report: Because of the rain the day before and the drop in temps, I knew that a hard surface was in store so I brought along my all-mountain skis. Got to the mountain almost at noon figuring that I'd let the sun warm up the place. While the sun was out in the MWV, it was dark as soon as you entered Pinkham Notch. It was actually snowing in the Notch and the sun wasn't able to warm up anything. The parking lot was a third full.

First runs were on Polecat, Catapult and Lynx and I found the surface hard but manageable. The trails were smooth and groomed. It was great for carving big fast GS turns. Basically, it was a racing surface and it was fun to open it up. The ungroomed trails were closed for good reason. I tried some of the open ungroomed (and ducked a few ropes here and there) and the bumps were just frozen. To say that the bumps were difficult is an understatement. I also hit the Jag Mountain Glade. I am sure that this would be a fun place to be on other days but today it was a hockey rink with trees. It was difficult to get an edge in and when you pivotted your skis, if you hit a frozen clump of ice, you got tripped. Falling was not an option because it hurt. My edges were pretty dull at the end of the day and all the sliding around cut very shallow grooves in my bases.

It was ridiculously cold and windy and I had to duck into the lodge at around 2 to warm up and get some cocoa (something I hardly ever do). I decided to stay on the groomers and enjoy what nature threw at me. Wildcat was a great trail that day. Icy and hard but manageable. It even had some loose powder on the side. At this time, the sun was out and it was pretty pleasant to actually see what I was skiing. At this time, there was almost no one on the mountain so I enjoyed the peace and the opportunity to open it up.

All in all, it was a challenging weekend but I was happy to be out there and am satisfied. Some folks will read this report and say "what a crappy weekend of skiing." I look at it differently. The way I see it, if we're going to call ourselves skiers, we ought to be able to ski anything that nature throws at us. All conditions, all snow, all terrain. It was a satisfying weekend of skiing and I feel that I am better for it.

Can't wait to hit Tucks next month!

[Angus]

what is your estimate on base at Wildcat? thanks.

[thetrailboss]

Good ending there, SM. It is better than the skiing we have in August.....

[andyzee]

Dude, you got the bug! Glad you made it down ok, thanks for the report, I was just wondering about it the other day.

[snowmonster]

Andy, got the bug in a big way -- and it's all your fault! You and trailboss are responsible for feeding the addiction! Sorry, no pictures. Had camera. No batteries. Lame excuse.

Trailboss, can't complain. I'll take what we've got.

Angus, if you're asking about depth of the snowpack, I'm not much help. If you mean conditions at the base, I'd say it was frozen granular. Hope that's helpful.

[snoseek]

Skiing both days through that builds great character.

[snowmonster]

Thanks, snoseek. I'm all for building character. It makes a man out of us.