Moosilauke

[Johnskiismore]

Has any one skied Moosilauke this season?

 

[Rambo]

Never heard of it. Looked it up on google, google images, and some youtube vids. Tuckerman Ravine appears to be more awesome to me.

 

[Johnskiismore]

It's fun, nothing terribly challenging but skiable snow can hold up there well into June. DOC almost opened a ski area there.

Just wondering how the conditions are now

 

[Johnskiismore]

It's fun, nothing terribly challenging but skiable snow can hold up there well into June. DOC almost opened a ski area there.

Just wondering how the conditions are now

Correction, the snowfields may not have a huge challenge, but in the winter there are some T2B runs that present a challenge

 

[deadheadskier]

On here, only person I've read that skied it was awf140, think it was last year.

Didn't know a ski resort was planned there. Think in a 'potential' great new ski mountain thread people said the Moose could provide a solid 3000 vert. That would be cool. *walks away*

 

[riverc0il]

Didn't know a ski resort was planned there. Think in a 'potential' great new ski mountain thread people said the Moose could provide a solid 3000 vert. That would be cool. *walks away*

It was the other option before they put the tramway on Cannon. Some say they made the wrong decision. I am happy with the decision though. As I recall, it came down to money... Cannon was steeper and thus cheaper... shorter cables.

I have never skied the mountain. It seems like a lot of effort for not enough pay off on a map. Which is how I feel about Alexandria at Cardigan though that is far less work than the Moose. Probably get there eventually but it is not high on the must do list.

 

[thetrailboss]

It's fun, nothing terribly challenging but skiable snow can hold up there well into June. DOC almost opened a ski area there.

Just wondering how the conditions are now

I think I recall seeing on Moosilauke Ravine Lodge an old map of a ski area that was built and run by Dartmouth, but near the Ravine Lodge. Moosilauke hosted the first ski race in America I believe...back in the 1920's or 1930's IIRC.

 

[Beetlenut]

Over on the Hike the Whites site, Dave Metsky has some older trip reports like these for skiing the Moose.

http://hikethewhites.com//moos9/index.html

http://hikethewhites.com//moos4/index.html

http://hikethewhites.com//moos3/index.html

http://hikethewhites.com//moos2/index.html

 

[threecy]

The tramway would have gone up to a subpeak of Mt. Moosilauke, thus requiring either hiking or some sort of secondary lift to access the 'snowfields.'

Mt. Blue Ski Area - New England's Cancelled Ski Areas

The summit is often very windy, thus snow doesn't accumulate as much, and some of the open fields can melt out quickly. When I hiked it in early May a few years ago, the summit was completely bare already (with about 3-4 feet of snow in the woods at lower elevations).

 

[thetrailboss]

The tramway would have gone up to a subpeak of Mt. Moosilauke, thus requiring either hiking or some sort of secondary lift to access the 'snowfields.'

Mt. Blue Ski Area - New England's Cancelled Ski Areas

The summit is often very windy, thus snow doesn't accumulate as much, and some of the open fields can melt out quickly. When I hiked it in early May a few years ago, the summit was completely bare already (with about 3-4 feet of snow in the woods at lower elevations).

Fascinating. That was not the ski area I was thinking of...I believe Dartmouth, for a short time, had some ski trails and a lift just above the Lodge.

 

[billski]

Yes, the actual ski area was up behind the lodge, other side of the turn around. With a rope tow. I bushwacked it last season. Pretty much all grown in now. The trails down Moosilauke were real, but you had to earn your turns over there. First intercollegiate competition was held there. They bagged expansion plans when the sport became commercialized.
It was called "Moosilauke Ski Area", operated and owned by DOC.
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~doc/about/history/
I sent in all my photos to nelsap and some day they may add this entry.
Below is a photo of the wood trail map which now resides inside the lodge.
It's a special place to spend a few days. Hope to get back there again this summer.

 

[riverc0il]

Important to note that the proposed Tramway and ski area was NOT where DOC land is but rather on the other side of them ountain per threecy's post.

 

[SIKSKIER]

The Moose was still looking very white on top last weekend.

 

[thetrailboss]

Important to note that the proposed Tramway and ski area was NOT where DOC land is but rather on the other side of them ountain per threecy's post.

Yes, that surprised me. I knew of the DOC ski area, but not the other one.

 

[from_the_NEK]

A ski area off the top of Blue Mtn (sub peak of Moose) down into the Lost River Notch would be pretty sweet. The top would be 4500' and 1850' bottom = 2650 vert (about = to Stowe). Tram 1.6 miles (vs ~1 mile for the Cannon tram).
You could have some pretty sweet terrain in there, but nothing appears to be as steep as the front trails at Cannon.
Looks like there could be A LOT of slack country potential along the ridgeline to the east with easy access to route 112. The Summit of Moosilauke is rather flat and not great for skiing.
The aspect of this area would be slightly better than Cannon as it faces more NE instead of NNW into the teeth of the prevailing winter winds.

The view from the top would be pretty cool too!

 

[thetrailboss]

A ski area off the top of Blue Mtn (sub peak of Moose) down into the Lost River Notch would be pretty sweet. The top would be 4500' and 1850' bottom = 2650 vert (about = to Stowe). Tram 1.6 miles (vs ~1 mile for the Cannon tram).
You could have some pretty sweet terrain in there, but nothing appears to be as steep as the front trails at Cannon.
Looks like there could be A LOT of slack country potential along the ridgeline to the east with easy access to route 112. The Summit of Moosilauke is rather flat and not great for skiing.
The aspect of this area would be slightly better than Cannon as it faces more NE instead of NNW into the teeth of the prevailing winter winds.

The view from the top would be pretty cool too!

This just in: Trailboss Realty has just received a listing for this parcel of land from cash strapped New Hampshire and the WMNF. Lots of potential. Act now. :wink:

 

[threecy]

You could have some pretty sweet terrain in there, but nothing appears to be as steep as the front trails at Cannon.

I don't think that's quite accurate - there is some *very* steep terrain in the Beaver Brook area. The Beaver Brook Trail is considered one of the most challenging hiking trails in all of the Whites. If anything, the Beaver Brook area would feature longer steeps than Cannon.

The Summit of Moosilauke is rather flat and not great for skiing.
The aspect of this area would be slightly better than Cannon as it faces more NE instead of NNW into the teeth of the prevailing winter winds.

One could have some neat peak-season snow fields, perhaps serviced by a surface lift, however the winds really do whip above treeline up there, so who knows how often a snowfield area would be open.

 

[billski]

The Beaver Brook Trail is considered one of the most challenging hiking trails in all of the Whites.

I did not know that, but never really thought about it. When I did the ascent on that trail last fall, the trail crew boys and girls blew by me mid-mountain AFTER they had done their chores. I stayed a few days at the Lodge and got to know these folks. They claimed (and I have no reason to doubt them) that sometimes they were known to do three round trips in one day, while hauling up trail tools, etc. Although I am over twice their age, I still felt like a real wimp. The lodge crews would often run up to the top to "look around" in-between morning and afternoon chores. You made me feel marginally better!

 

[threecy]

I did not know that, but never really thought about it. When I did the ascent on that trail last fall, the trail crew boys and girls blew by me mid-mountain AFTER they had done their chores. I stayed a few days at the Lodge and got to know these folks. They claimed (and I have no reason to doubt them) that sometimes they were known to do three round trips in one day, while hauling up trail tools, etc. Although I am over twice their age, I still felt like a real wimp. The lodge crews would often run up to the top to "look around" in-between morning and afternoon chores. You made me feel marginally better!

Ya, the brookside portion of it is pretty steep (hence the warning signs at the bottom - "Take special care at cascades to avoid tragic results"). As stated in the most recent White Mountain Guide:

...the section along the cascades is extremely steep and rough, making this trail the most arduous route to Moosilauke despite its relatively short distance

Even with the twists and turns, it climbs just about 2K vert in a mile and a half.

 

[billski]

Ya, the brookside portion of it is pretty steep (hence the warning signs at the bottom - "Take special care at cascades to avoid tragic results"). As stated in the most recent White Mountain Guide:



Even with the twists and turns, it climbs just about 2K vert in a mile and a half.

Which makes it dangerously tempting, being the "shortest route."
You do have to admit that the scenery it is drop dead gorgeous and dramatic on that trail, after taking time to catch your breath and your muscles stop burning!