Cannonball
New member
Date(s) Skied: March 25, 2011
Resort or Ski Area: Monteau/Swiftwater Valley
Conditions: Dust on crust. 99% coverage
Trip Report:
I'll admit that I had never heard of the abandoned Monteau / Swiftwater Valley Ski Area until this year. But since I heard of it I have been itching to get up there.
The NELSAP site has a nice write up on the place (http://www.nelsap.org/nh/monteau.html) so I won't repeat it all here other than the summary:
"this ski area opened in 1975. It operated with a double chair and rope tow and provided skiing on a small but interesting variety of trails and slopes. The ski area was developed within the Mountain Lakes development, which is/was a four season recreation community in the White Mountains. By the late 1980's, the area changed its name to Swiftwater Valley, but closed around 1990. "
We had plenty to do this morning so didn't get there until 10ish. The drive through Kinsman Notch is worth it on it's own, so we were already ahead of the game. We casually geared up and hit the trail. Me on my ATs and wife on her splitboard (and dog on her own 4 paws)..
What had been the bunny slope with rope tow is still wide open and would make a killer sledding hill. The top shack of the rope tow has seen better days.
At the top of the bunny slope a slight bit of bushwhacking is required to get on to the old main lift line trail. This is basically single track up. The pitch is moderate and very skinable. It took us exactly an hour to reach the summit. But I suspect it could easily be done in half that time. The wife is a fairly slow skinner to start with and has been under the weather all week. So we took it extremely slow.
Mostly singletrack, but widening in some spots:
The top had only minor reminders of a ski operation. The views to the North are great although low clouds minimized it somewhat.
Top shack foundation:
Top ramp remnants:
We explored around the summit for a while. The south side has been pretty sun baked and is almost totally clear of snow. The dear seem to be digging this because I've never seen so many deer pellets in one place. On the west side there is a pretty large swath of new tree felling. Anyone know what's up? Someone is obviously planning to do something up there.
After a good break we packed up the skins, reassembled the split, locked the heels, and headed down. This would be a nice ski with 6+ of fresh, or some spring corn. Instead it was 1/2" of dust on a pretty solid crust from top to bottom. The main trail is tight but quite skiable. The tree lines all around would be enjoyable with some pow, but a little too tight under these conditions. Anyway, it was a nice run out and certainly worth the ascent. The bunny slope was the highlight with wide open turns to be had.
Mostly single track up and down:
All in all a worthwhile few hours, and the pup was happy to be out skiing with us.....
Resort or Ski Area: Monteau/Swiftwater Valley
Conditions: Dust on crust. 99% coverage
Trip Report:
I'll admit that I had never heard of the abandoned Monteau / Swiftwater Valley Ski Area until this year. But since I heard of it I have been itching to get up there.
The NELSAP site has a nice write up on the place (http://www.nelsap.org/nh/monteau.html) so I won't repeat it all here other than the summary:
"this ski area opened in 1975. It operated with a double chair and rope tow and provided skiing on a small but interesting variety of trails and slopes. The ski area was developed within the Mountain Lakes development, which is/was a four season recreation community in the White Mountains. By the late 1980's, the area changed its name to Swiftwater Valley, but closed around 1990. "
We had plenty to do this morning so didn't get there until 10ish. The drive through Kinsman Notch is worth it on it's own, so we were already ahead of the game. We casually geared up and hit the trail. Me on my ATs and wife on her splitboard (and dog on her own 4 paws)..
What had been the bunny slope with rope tow is still wide open and would make a killer sledding hill. The top shack of the rope tow has seen better days.
At the top of the bunny slope a slight bit of bushwhacking is required to get on to the old main lift line trail. This is basically single track up. The pitch is moderate and very skinable. It took us exactly an hour to reach the summit. But I suspect it could easily be done in half that time. The wife is a fairly slow skinner to start with and has been under the weather all week. So we took it extremely slow.
Mostly singletrack, but widening in some spots:
The top had only minor reminders of a ski operation. The views to the North are great although low clouds minimized it somewhat.
Top shack foundation:
Top ramp remnants:
We explored around the summit for a while. The south side has been pretty sun baked and is almost totally clear of snow. The dear seem to be digging this because I've never seen so many deer pellets in one place. On the west side there is a pretty large swath of new tree felling. Anyone know what's up? Someone is obviously planning to do something up there.
After a good break we packed up the skins, reassembled the split, locked the heels, and headed down. This would be a nice ski with 6+ of fresh, or some spring corn. Instead it was 1/2" of dust on a pretty solid crust from top to bottom. The main trail is tight but quite skiable. The tree lines all around would be enjoyable with some pow, but a little too tight under these conditions. Anyway, it was a nice run out and certainly worth the ascent. The bunny slope was the highlight with wide open turns to be had.
Mostly single track up and down:
All in all a worthwhile few hours, and the pup was happy to be out skiing with us.....
