Mt. Washington Cog, March 29-30

lftgly · Mar 31, 2008, 8:17 PM

Saturday, March 29, I skinned up the Cog in single digit Farenheit temperatures with 30MPH winds lowering the windchill index well below zero.

Skies were partly sunny in the valleys, with the summits in the clouds.
Snow conditions were about 4"-6" new powder around the Cog Railway base station, increasing to a depth of about 1 foot around the Waumbek Tank, with drifts of 1-2 feet from there up to Jacobs Ladder.

Sunday, March 30, I skinned via yesterday's uptrack past the Waumbek Tank

to Jacobs Ladder, strapped on the boot crampons to hike the next thousand vertical feet,
switched back to skis with skins for the few hundred feet up to Clay Col and the junction of Gulfside & Westside trails,

back into boot crampons to hike the icy Westside Trail to the first snow above the north fork of the Ammonoosuc River,
then skied down across the summit cone, to the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail below Lakes of the Clouds Hut, then hiked in boot crampons across the icy snow to Monroe Brook.

It was loaded up with huge hard slabs in some aspects, and scoured down to the old hard surfaces right next to the new slabs. Is that an old crown line at the top of the gully?

I skied down the trees on skiers right, where I was able to link turns in a foot or two of powder all the way down, and avoided the avalanche danger.

One skier had thrown caution to the wind, and skied down Monroe Brook before I arrived. Here are his tracks:

TheBEast · Mar 31, 2008, 9:17 PM

Looks like some great conditions!

Are they still running the Cog for skiing? I heard about that a few years back but haven't heard much about it this year or last.

awf170 · Mar 31, 2008, 11:52 PM

Lftgly is alive?! So how is the coverage in Monroe Brook and on the west side in general compared to last season? Did you happen to get a peak into the Great Gulf? I love the west side of Washington...

David Metsky · Apr 1, 2008, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBEast

Are they still running the Cog for skiing?

Nope, that only lasted one season.

TheBEast · Apr 1, 2008, 12:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Metsky

Nope, that only lasted one season.

Yeah never thought that was going to really be a desired ski location other than for the earn your turn crowd.

David Metsky · Apr 1, 2008, 5:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBEast

Yeah never thought that was going to really be a desired ski location other than for the earn your turn crowd.

Since the only terrain you were allowed to ski from the Cog was right along the tracks, it certainly wasn't appealing to the earn your turns crowd. It was always just a novelty, and as such, failed miserably.

lftgly · Apr 1, 2008, 7:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by awf170

...how is the coverage in Monroe Brook and on the west side in general compared to last season?...

Last year the west side was blanketed in snow.

This year, the west side is pretty bare. The winds have transported all that snow into Tucks and Gulf of Slides.

Monroe Brook itself is filled in well, but the approaches to it are still pretty bare.

I was only a short walk from the top of Airplane, but it was getting late, and I knew it wouldn't be safe to ski it, so I didn't look into that.

The Great Gulf headwall, which we skied last year, looked pretty bare; as did Burt Ravine.

It's still only April 1, and some of the best snow came later, last year.

Mar 31, 2008, 8:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
lftgly Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Franconia, NH Posts: 34	Mt. Washington Cog, March 29-30 Saturday, March 29, I skinned up the Cog in single digit Farenheit temperatures with 30MPH winds lowering the windchill index well below zero. Skies were partly sunny in the valleys, with the summits in the clouds. Snow conditions were about 4"-6" new powder around the Cog Railway base station, increasing to a depth of about 1 foot around the Waumbek Tank, with drifts of 1-2 feet from there up to Jacobs Ladder. Sunday, March 30, I skinned via yesterday's uptrack past the Waumbek Tank to Jacobs Ladder, strapped on the boot crampons to hike the next thousand vertical feet, switched back to skis with skins for the few hundred feet up to Clay Col and the junction of Gulfside & Westside trails, back into boot crampons to hike the icy Westside Trail to the first snow above the north fork of the Ammonoosuc River, then skied down across the summit cone, to the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail below Lakes of the Clouds Hut, then hiked in boot crampons across the icy snow to Monroe Brook. It was loaded up with huge hard slabs in some aspects, and scoured down to the old hard surfaces right next to the new slabs. Is that an old crown line at the top of the gully? I skied down the trees on skiers right, where I was able to link turns in a foot or two of powder all the way down, and avoided the avalanche danger. One skier had thrown caution to the wind, and skied down Monroe Brook before I arrived. Here are his tracks: __________________ ...the man who goes alone can start today...

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Mar 31, 2008, 9:17 PM	#2 (permalink)
TheBEast Tuckermans Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hampshire County, MA Posts: 190	Looks like some great conditions! Are they still running the Cog for skiing? I heard about that a few years back but haven't heard much about it this year or last.