Do you ski trees?

[JD]

Holidays suck for me....as do w/e. Midweek would be good timing....chuck some sickies when the snow get's good!

 

[Johnskiismore]

I ski the trees, and haven't maintained or cut 'my own' stashes

 

[Andrew Caffrey]

JD
you started a great thread... for you and the other hard core trekkers, is it too much to ask for a new thread on how you'll scope out new hills and lines? that is, not at resorts and their back boundaries. Or do most folks access their trees from resorts?
I'm looking to do some AT for the first time this year, and would love to hear some thoughts from those who scout their own hills--what to look for, etc.
thanks
a.c.

 

[BigJay]

JD
you started a great thread... for you and the other hard core trekkers, is it too much to ask for a new thread on how you'll scope out new hills and lines? that is, not at resorts and their back boundaries. Or do most folks access their trees from resorts?
I'm looking to do some AT for the first time this year, and would love to hear some thoughts from those who scout their own hills--what to look for, etc.
thanks
a.c.

Scouting... Basically like hunting... You either follow a path... or go somewhere that looks like you might get the goods... Topo map helps... but nothing beats going in there and scout!

I've been to areas where the mountain was great... but the forest way too dense... or way too far from any access point... I love areas where you don't have to walk out much... But on the other hand, if you need to walk out... You won't see many others in there... I guess that's why Mansfield is so popular... it's super accessible... and you ride back to the parking lot... So no worries about spending the night in the woods...

Sometimes people are so eager for snow that they completely loose track of where they are... that's why every year you read about people getting lost into "black falls" on the back of Jay Peak... People ski outside the designated areas... and hoops... drop on the backside without even noticing... and spend the night...

Normally, nightmares like this happens when tourists venture into the "sidecountry" and are not prepared... With backcountry, people are mostly aware that they might spend the night... main reason i always carry a headlamp and a lighter in my pack...

 

[bigbog]

...NE bc

Those drops with the tougher runout holes, and with the taller rock gardens... The first several trips down are obviously slower, HEH..mine are always pretty slow.. North central Maine has to be near the top in blowdowns...:-o..;-)

STeveD

 

[JD]

First, focus on areas that gets alot of snow, close to home, with good access like exsisting trail systems. After that, get a topo and look for Mtns with good vertical at least 7-800 vert. of consistant pitch on the north/north east face.They don't get as much sun and will wind load. Then go there and scout. Look at the ground. Boulder fields and other geological hazards are not Idea obviously. Once you find a hill that has a good aspect in a snowy area with friendly terrain that can be skiied w/reaosnable base depths (30-40 inches) then start looking at the trees. Cutting in high alpine soft woods is not ideal, so generally speaking, I follow the veins of birch that tend to go the highest up into the soft woods. Alot of times these ill be along a gully of other topographical feature that gives the trees a little shelter from the elements...they also tend to fill in with more snow and often, with very light trimming will offer a line that starts up in the pines a bit. Start at the top follow naturally open lines and think about skiing it. Where you can widen it easily or add another line parallel to the one you're clearing for the next lap. If there are choke points or steeps, try and make the run out open and the entrance as wide as possible to give youself a chance to scrub speed. Fill in depressions with the small branches and brush you clear. Cut stumps to the ground! Cut branches flush to the trunk. Cut higher then you think you need to. Buck up blowdowns or at least turn them to run down the fall line instead of accross. Also...walk the whole line before you start cutting and make sure it's viable and worth it.

The other thing I will say is don't look for the steepest terrain available. These lines will only ski well will tons of snow. Think about what your normal conditions are. Lower angle runs will ski well with 4-8 inches of snow, and you will likely have alot more days like that then you will with a foot plus. I do alot of light gear days, cruising low angle woods, patures, and fields like the low angle stuff in the abandon ski area here in town. Really fun way to spend the day while you're waiting for the real snow to hit, or build up so the steeps will ski well. Consistant pitch rather then steep pitch I guess is what I'm trying to say. I would seriously consider light tele gear as opposed to AT for just getting into Back Country. A scaled ski with a full metal edge and some shape. They are cheap. Skis for 200, bindings for 40, boots for 150, and you don't need skins. You can use them all over the place, and once you get your tele down, you can really get agresive with them when the snow is good. I've skiied Goat on my XC gear, as well as steep woods runs in the back country. If you really love it...look for a deal on skins and an AT set up down the road. That's my $.02 on the whole deal. GL.

 

[Andrew Caffrey]

more! more! this is great stuff guys
obviously my first forays will be with an experienced friend who's done hardcore overnight BC in the whites and Alps, so i'm not gonna be dumb enough to go out first alone (although, just try me!)
JD, i just at the end of last season put fritschi freerides on my new powder skiis, so I got kinda some money invested in a psuedo AT setup, so I'm committed there for a little while (esp with current finances). am now trying to find a deal on some BD skins, tho genuine low prices hard to find there.
I'm in Boston, so in addition to practicing in the Arborteum when there's snow, there are many nice hills in southern NH west of Concord that have looked worth exploring and don't look too intimidating.

also have my eye on the long closed mt whittier in ossipie, which have some steep lines
http://www.nelsap.org/nh/mtwhit1.html

 

[JD]

http://gearx.com/advanced_search_result.html?search_in_description=0&keywords=skins
Afer a quick glancing of the topos close to Boston, I would be inclined to go hike Mt. Monadnock.
NOAA has a topo map on the site that you can scroll around on really easy. I use that since TOPOZONE went to a pay site....
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...=UTF8&t=p&z=15&g=Monadnock+Mtn++New+Hampshire
North side....1400plus vert.....hiking trails...that one gully just skiers left of the peak looks like it would side load pretty good with the typical western winds on the backside of most storms....
http://www.qcc.mass.edu/brink/Trav-rec/mt_monad/interactive_map.htm

 

[Andrew Caffrey]

i can see I'm not going to get any work done today!
JD that is a good deal on the ascension seconds.

think I'll try some baby hills a'fore monadnock

keep up the stoke--more pics!

 

[Greg]

NOAA has a topo map on the site that you can scroll around on really easy. I use that since TOPOZONE went to a pay site....

NOAA is just using the Google Maps API. You can get a larger topo map by using Google directly:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&ie=UTF8&ll=44.537755,-72.827511&spn=0.086997,0.154495&t=p&z=13

 

[JD]

Thanks Greg!

 

[hardline]

one thing i find usefull is doing overlays in google earth

 

[JD]

The Notch is sofa king rad.

 

[campgottagopee]

That is GREAT advise----some of my most memorable days of skiing here in CNY have come from pastures, power lines/pipe lines and state land. I usually eill gat a call from one of my "sled head" buddies that feels like screwin' around by haulin me around to these places. Makes for a fun day.

 

[hardline]

The Notch is sofa king rad.

kinda funny

 

[swordy]

The only skiing I do East of the Rockies, is in The Notch off of Mansfield, lots of NATURAL and skier enhanced lines through the woods. The quality and quantity of snow can be very impressive (by late last March the top of the door to the Taft lodge was below snow level).

As far as trimming goes - I would love to go up there in the summer and do some work( I live in CT) but I assume that it is very illegal to do that. The owners of those new multi million dollar Spruce Peak condos might get mad that we are hurting the environment! (I wonder how many trees were cut down for that development)

When I ski in the trees I will take a moment to snap off dead/dangerous/low hanging branches.

 

[icedtea]

......and a lighter in my pack...

is that the only reason?