Easy backcountry Trails

[awf170]

xc'd only once in my life and hated but i instantly fell in love with skiing. it took more energy than hiking up but not having a loaded pack is so worth it. it just feels good skiing up hill, can't really describe it but it's definitely more fun than work. especially with my new g-rides, holy mama these things are so light!

ya i loved your report from that trip... after reading it was like that is awsome i wanna start doing that. I think if i get the bindings, many days im going to go wildcat ill just do the skin up and ski down then go to wildcat in the afternoon(wildcat is usually better in the afternoon anyway because the sun softens stuff up)

 

[awf170]

ordered the ski nh and maine book today off amazon for $7

 

[David Metsky]

The Goodman books are excellent. I even took one of the pictures in the NH one, guess which mountain.

I tele, so the AT discussion is best left to others. But I just wanted to stress the difference in skiing in the backcountry vs lift skiing. You will be on your own out there. It's really different from being at a ski area. Even if you've skied lift served out-of-bounds, this is different.

You'll be carrying lots more stuff on your back, you get much less actual downhill skiing, a gear failure (and you will have gear failures) are much more serious, you have a significant chance of getting hurt, lost, or both.

Take is slowly. Something like Sherburne is a fine start, but it's really nothing like most backcountry skiing in the Whites. It's an alpine ski trail that you have to skin up. Something like GoS is much more isolated with stream crossings, blowdowns, and a much narrower trail. Places like Moosilauke, Garfield, Camel's Hump, Mansfield, etc are much more remote with a much great chance of interesting incidents.

My advise is to find some folks who backcountry ski and tag along for the first few trips before you go solo. You'll learn an awful lot and have a great time.

Here's my backcountry skiing page. And here are some links to trips from this past winter:
http://community.webshots.com/user/gangphotos
http://community.webshots.com/user/yetanotherdave

Definately persue this, backcountry skiing offers a type of enjoyment that you cannot get at a lift served area. But it has its dangers, so go slowly.

-dave-

(Hope I didn't sound too preachy)

 

[dmc]

it just feels good skiing up hill, can't really describe it but it's definitely more fun than work.

Yup..
Skinning using the splitboard is SOOO much easier then hiking/postholeing/snowshoeing..

It usually takes me 1.5 hours to get to Hojos at Tucks on foot.. 2 hours packed for a few days..
On a split I do it in a little under an hour and I'm far less exausted...

 

[bvibert]

Skinning using the splitboard is SOOO much easier then hiking/postholeing/snowshoeing..

It usually takes me 1.5 hours to get to Hojos at Tucks on foot.. 2 hours packed for a few days..
On a split I do it in a little under an hour and I'm far less exausted...

Wow, thats a pretty good time/energy savings!

 

[dmc]

Skinning using the splitboard is SOOO much easier then hiking/postholeing/snowshoeing..

It usually takes me 1.5 hours to get to Hojos at Tucks on foot.. 2 hours packed for a few days..
On a split I do it in a little under an hour and I'm far less exausted...

Wow, thats a pretty good time/energy savings!

Sure is.. It makes day trips to the bowl a lot easier..

 

[awf170]

thanks for all of the info David Metsky. My plan was to start the sureburn trail, then probably GoS trails, then maybe a few lost skis areas... whittier looks pretty sweet. Also firescrew and Mount Cardigan look really nice.
So here is my goals for next year if i get AT gear-
Sureburn
Tux
Gos trail
Firescrew/Mount Cardigan
Whittier
hillmans
And atleast 1 more thing on Mt. wash
Ohh ya tuckerbrook
Anything else i should add to the list???

Ohh ya one more ? do u skin up the sureburn of the tuckermans trail?

 

[dmc]

Ohh ya one more ? do u skin up the sureburn of the tuckermans trail?

Skin up the hiking trail...
Bad form to skin up the ski trail...

 

[David Metsky]

The ski down Sherburne is relatively easy since it gets groomed occasionally to break up the ice. Tucks is a major venture, but on big spring weekends you won't find yourself alone up there. Still bring lots more water than you think you'll need (3 liters or so) sunscreen, lots of food, and take it easy on your first trip. People do get hurt up there. Hillmans Highway is just an extension of Tuckerman.

GoS up to the base of the ravine isn't all that different than a skin up the Tuckerman Ravine trail except it's somewhat narrower on the way down and much more isolated. Going up beyond the base of the ravine requires a bit more skill and experience, this isn't something you should do without someone who's done this kind of thing before. Avy danger is very real there and there's no forecast or rangers.

Firescrew/Cardigan, while relatively small, is real backcountry. You'll be on your own and the trails are narrow and confusing at times, and condition vary quickly. Don't underestimate this mountain. I'd probably do a trip down Dukes and Alexandria, but not try to connect the two by looping over the summit. Don't skin up the ski trail, go on the hiking trails just like at Sherburne. Again, you'll want to go with others on a trip like this, not solo until you have some experience under your belt.

Don't know about Whittier other than don't expect excellent conditions without grooming. Try to catch it on a powder day.

-dave-

 

[awf170]

Don't know about Whittier other than don't expect excellent conditions without grooming. Try to catch it on a powder day.

-dave-

Again thanks for the awsome info, and ya i would only go to whittier on a powder day and if it was a big pain to go wildcat, whittier looks nice and steep though, and it looks if there is some local cutting goin on.

 

[riverc0il]

Ohh ya tuckerbrook and wildcat ski trail(both a pain because i need to find someone else with a car to do them)

are you referring to the wildcat valley trail? that one definitely isn't on my books. looks like there are some rolling sections and some uphill. more of a tele tour than a downhill BC run, from what i read. nothing wrong with that, not my cup of tea though.

 

[awf170]

Ohh ya tuckerbrook and wildcat ski trail(both a pain because i need to find someone else with a car to do them)

are you referring to the wildcat valley trail? that one definitely isn't on my books. looks like there are some rolling sections and some uphill. more of a tele tour than a downhill BC run, from what i read. nothing wrong with that, not my cup of tea though.

oh didnt know that... just that it looked cool, i take that back then, tuckerbrook looks awsome though

 

[David Metsky]

It's definately more of a tour than a screaming descent. The top part is fairly steep with some great switchback turns, then you go through some sections of up and down. The nicest part is some great birch glades that are fairly short but can be a lot of fun. The bottom part is on groomed XC trails.

IMO, it's much better suited for backcountry or tele 3-pin gear than for AT. One of the links I posted earlier has some pictures from a trip this winter in seriously bad snow conditions.

-dave-

 

[awf170]

So anything i should add or take away from this list...

Sherburne
Tux
Gos trail
Firescrew/Mount Cardigan
Whittier
hillmans
tuckerbrook

 

[riverc0il]

yea, i'd only suggest adding one of these next to each name:
*pending no suspect conditions and/or weather.

other than that, knock yourself out man, good stuff! :beer:

 

[awf170]

yea, i'd only suggest adding one of these next to each name

huh???


and what were you goals for last year and what are they for this year for BC, you must have some right?

 

[dmc]

yea, i'd only suggest adding one of these next to each name

huh???


and what were you goals for last year and what are they for this year for BC, you must have some right?

Men are killed each year trying to reach goals in the BC...

He was just tring to add the whole thing about not going in bad condtions and wot-not...

 

[riverc0il]

what DMC said. just saying don't be dead set on reaching certain places because sometimes things don't cooperate. as for goals, i can't really say i have 'goals' persey, but have dozens of "i need to hit that" ideas. all depends where the snow is, what conditions are like, availability of a buddy, etc.

 

[NHpowderhound]

For me, the whole tour is what is appealing, not just the descent. Like Dave Metskey says, you arent going to get in tons of runs and bag alot of vertical.
Going BC is lots of fun but also needs to be taken very seriously. You will need to be a good planner and be even better at solving unplanned problems. Just packing Powerbars and water poses problems if you havent taken care to make sure they dont freeze solid! And they will, quicker than you unfreeze them. I've thawed some Pbars in my armits in my earlier days of winter camping :lol:
((*
*))NHPH

 

[awf170]

once again thanks for all the info from everyone. And ya it isnt just the descent that looks fun for me, going up also looks very cool

as for goals, i can't really say i have 'goals' persey, but have dozens of "i need to hit that" ideas.

So what are these??? And ya i kinda meant the same thing as you as them not really being goals and im not going to force myself to do it in bad conditions/weather