spring has definitely sprung...

the snow is all gone around here and now its all hiking and biking!

i have been up cardigan a few times with the 14" 'big boy' hand saw, tactfully avoiding the several large blow downs up high on the west ridge, south ridge, and a couple on skyland trail. sooner or later i will lug up the chain saw but this morning it was all about an early summit and my first barefoot outing.



a few MOC stalwarts had gone up the night before for a late fish fry and sleep over. i made a batch of muffins for a surprise breakfast and was bringing thinking i might be able to sneak in under a thick cloud cover and catch them still sleeping. it was definitely foggy and bare feet are pretty stealthy, but two of the four were already out of their sleeping bags having already taken a little walk-about around the tower!

when i topped over the rock they were using as a pillow, i heard some laughing and "it's koby, and he's barefoot." the only surprise was that it was five in the morning.

"when did you start hiking to get up here so early?"

"even earlier...i brought muffins!"

i ate one myself--they were tasty--and chatted a bit before heading down to 'stir the clivus'. it wasn't even 6:00 yet but i actually met a woman hiking up. i also took a couple of photo opportunity stops.

























the FLF, frail-little-fellow as pam calls them, was out for its early morning crawl. the lady slipper wasn't strolling at all, but then slippers tend to stay pretty close to home.

it was a fine way to spend a couple hours "outside and playing!"

corn snow at the skiway...

and high avalanche danger up in tuckerman and huntington ravines--where would you rather ski?




it must be dangerous up north as i heard the warnings on nhpr this morning. extreme weather reports, out of gray maine, have been around a while, but i have only heard avalanche warnings once before. when i looked at the mt washington avalanche report, i noticed immediately the different colors on the graphics compared to last week when MOC was planning on being there. check out "lots and lots of ice" to see the difference.


the new snow we skied up on cardigan yesterday, was the source of slide danger on mt washington. snow pushed around by high winds, will build up in slabs. if those slabs are atop unstable snows, avalanches are more likely--especially triggered by human activity or rising temperatures and sun. those two things sound an awful lot like a nice saturday in april!









down 'south', that sun was the skiers' best friend. warmer temps would soften up the top layer of the plenty of snow left over from ski areas snow making. skip and i packed up and headed to the skiway about 3:00p, a tad late-ish, but a tea celebrating the queen's birthday pre-empted anything earlier. when we got parked and geared up, we choose the winslow side for a first run as we could forego the skins to summit that side. 

fairly soon, we had to take our jackets off. the day's wardrobe didn't match as well as friday's. skip had the camera today, but for some reason, the quality on video mode is really low--read awful.

i didn't realize how unfocused things were, and borrowed the camera to capture skip coming down the next headwall. as i look at the two, i realize how different our styles are. or maybe that just comes out on wide open slopes, in the trees, you won't see it that much. oh, you might want to mute your sound, unless you like heavy breathing.

the winslow side had plenty of sun at that hour, but we were pretty pumped to run down warden's schuss over on the holt's ledge runs. that half of the area was mostly shaded and had been since we got there. we would be skinning up holt's side as it was a lot steeper and needed extra sticky. fortunately, the temperature was warm enough to corn up the top, even in the shade. we saw a number of fresh, deeply carved tracks from somebody--or most likely -bodies--cruising at speed giving us hope.


since this run is a dartmouth alpine race course, there is snowmaking the entire winter--leaving plenty of snow in the spring. i snapped a picture of the skipper climbing the upper, steepest headwall on the mtn. along the orange safety netting. click on the picture and you might be able to pick out the group of skiers at the top.



the group of four, were on their second run so one of them could throw a 360° off the jump you can just make out on the top right in the picture.


there was still a bit of sun and a bench up at the summit for us to relax, take skins off, and have a snack & water break. skip got the camera out and somehow set it differently, now it took video in blk & wht but it was much clearer. it was so smooth, it looks like i can ski.

the butter soft snow in the video, got a bit stiffer as we tipped over the edge into the 'dark'. if the steep and stiff didn't keep you on it, crossing the 'racer' groups' big carved tracks would wake you up. i turned toward the netting and found a soft untracked line which ran most of the way down. when the net ended, i started experimenting going over the side lip left from grooming. i had one chattering moment, making skip wonder if i would end up in the trees. i got back on the flat trying for the little launch i had seen going up. the salient word is "little" and any lift i got was minimal.

we skied down to grass and unbuckled...it was another big smile day in the after season.

go outside and play!

another after season trip...

and what better way to get high--on 4-20 no less--than ski up into the mtns, oh yeah, and fly back down!

the last post on goap! mentioned that the ski trail on cardigan was in fine shape, just waiting for a late season snow. none of the MOC were available, but skip was primed. i picked him, his skis, and sled up just past noon. we got to the parking lot without any of wednesday's nasty road hassles and quickly geared up. we were dragging sleds along behind us just in case the skiing was more furious than fast. i convinced skip to forego putting on skins thinking we could scale it without slippage, especially as it seemed to be getting warmer.

by the time we stashed our sleds up near the creek past the mower garage, we were in a couple inches of fairly sticky snow. the skins may have helped to keep from clumping up, but i was glad to keep them in the pack. the steeper sections were no problem going up, skip even started to wonder if coming down would be an issue. i was confident that once we were sliding, it would be plenty slick, maybe too much so.

down below the second ski trail section, all the ice that had been in the trees wednesday, was shed. you could feel it under ski buried by the fresh snow from thursday night. when we got to a little below the waterfall, we started noticing it still up coating branches. it got thicker and thicker as we gained altitude.

by the last ski trail section, i tried for a picture of the multi-cicles along the trail. you can almost see them in the picture with skip. (yes, the same person picks out our clothes for us.) the ice was pretty thick, especially on some of the lower spruce. i whacked one bent over branch and felt like i was hitting a wall.

we made it up to the top of the chute where we saw the two hikers that had tracked up it. it did look inviting even though it is way off trail. they were obviously kind of lost. when skip asked if they knew that the trail was way down below them, they said yes and that they were going down to it--and then promptly turned and kept going up hill and away. they were probably the ones in the car with connecticut plates--not that i begrudge out of staters the north country. but i have driven more than a couple groups around the mtn to the alexandria, east-side when they come down to canaan on the west.

it can be confusing up toward the top. we pointed our tips down and pitched over the icy cornice at the top of the chute. it was way fast, almost loud. i took a video of skip, check turning his way down.

we zipped along the 'hurricane' cut off and tipped into the upper ski trail. after whooping it up hopping over the ice flows i hockey stopped and got another video of skip.

at the top of the falls i hooked the big corner and slid to another stop for yet another video--this was skips day.

maybe i should have stopped and videoed the next ski trail section as the conditions all of a sudden got really favorable. a good group of buttery soft turns prompted a quick back up to hit that section again. what the heck, we didn't need skins.

after that, i didn't stop until the last steep part on the bottom ski trail section. it wasn't exactly planned, but it was better than hitting a tree--after all, i didn't have my helmet. oh, and i took a last video.

when we picked up the sleds, skip suggested we get a gopro for efficiency of filming. that might not be so bad, but if i wanted him in the picture, i would have to trail him fairly close. i am not sure we would still be smiling as big after that...







go outside and play! it will make you "happier, healthier, and more creative"...



ps according to sarah coons and seth burke, that spot of blood on my nose makes the trip official--"it's not an adventure until koby bleeds." 

lots and lots of ice...

if it's april vacation, this must be tuckermans ravine.




sadly, it's not. well, the picture above is tux. but mascoma outing club is not up in the bowl. all last week MOC stalwarts and new comers hawk and samantha, were getting pumped about heading up to tuckermans ravine on mt washington--especially hawk, who wants to ski the bowl so badly, even i can taste it. around thursday, i started hearing of a storm coming in sunday, through monday, and into tuesday, our planned day. first, liz backed away, leery of avalanche danger. even though we haven't 'lost' anybody in 20 years of trips, i respect that caution.



over the weekend, caution was heightened given the storm was supposed to be a wintery mix all falling atop a hard frozen surface, blown about by extreme winds. of course high up on the mountain, it would all be snow. down low on the roads, it was supposed to be a lot of freezing rain. 

all day sunday, the freezing rain was falling from someplace warm above into the cold down low. there was an easy 3/4 inch of ice to be scraped before pam could head to work monday morning. after slipping around myself in some crazy sleet and snow running errands on monday, i checked the weather up in the north country. it was predicted to continue--maybe even get worse.

monday afternoon, justin and dirk bailed for multiple reasons, but mostly because hiking would be miserable. when i heard that semi-tractor trailers were blowing over in franconia notch, i decided that the driving would be just as bad--probably worse--so we called it off. 

tuesday was as bad as predicted up north, and wild enough for me to work inside down 'south'. wednesday i was getting itchy. i finished a few more inside projects and packed for a run up cardigan. a text to MOC got no response, so i was solo. getting up to the winter parking was sketchy as the higher the elevation, the worse the road. ruts, slush, mud, frozen washboard, were pretty good signs that they had not plowed any of this storm--probably didn't want to dig up the unfrozen road.

i got going up the trail and immediately thought, "oh my gosh this is great coverage, i could have skied! at least sledded." it was a really good and solid base under a couple of inches of wet, soft new snow. i could hear the ice up high in the trees as the wind chimed it around. there were branches and even whole trees down all over the place. since there was more snow in the forecast, i started clearing things thinking i could definitely come back to ski. 

taking my time and sawing up the big stuff, i slowly made my way up. the ice got lower and lower in the trees, and i was knocking into bent limbs by the second ski section. i saw two other groups coming down, but since i was clearing the ski-trail, i avoided any close contact. i doubt the one pair even saw me as they were deep in discussion. 



as i got past turn-around-rock, the wind came into play and i stopped to jacket up. the snow underfoot gave way to a couple inches of ice there. even with spikes on, i had to pick my way along, choosing the grey cloudy ice for best purchase. it was well worth the effort as the tower was in fine form, about as heavily iced as i have seen it.





i lay beneath the stairs and took a shot up through the framing, but my art skills were limited given the cold and bluster--and general lack of art skills.




i stopped playing photographer and went to eating as i am fairly a pro at that. it was a sublime moment. by the time i repacked and headed down, the wind seemed a bit stiffer. i guessed gusting between 20-30 but was too lazy to take out the anemometer. i was comfy in my blue jacket.




back in the trees, and on the hiking rather than the ski trail, i had to take out the saw again for a couple of major blow downs. it warmed me enough that i could take hat and jacket off. 


all in all it was a pleasant trip. spending the time to make a clear run of it got me pretty excited. i texted MOC with the icy tower picture and notice that "if we get snow, we will go! bring something to slide on!!"


go outside and play--risk free!

in the 'after' season season...

i suppose you could call us die-hards, but considering we skin up to ski down all winter, why not get in a few more runs come spring. 

for years now i have been trying to find a day when the stars aligned and jay could come ski with me--somewhere, anywhere. last weekend sharing photos of our respective polar dips, he added a "let's meet up at the skiway on thursday." i jumped right on that, as after season runs there can be more fun than in season ones, at least for me. bonus, jay would be there!

of course as the weather shaped up it was supposed to be extra windy and cold that day. and given our 5:00p start, things would probably be pretty stiff. but, i was not going to let this pass.

jay pulled up right on time and we got his skins on quick, even though they hadn't seen a ski bottom in quite a few years. my guess was since they were too long and wide, they had never seen the bottom of his skis. they would work under today's conditions and only going up a mile or so.

we set off at a brisk pace straight up the lift line. it should be noted that jay is not only an accomplished nordic skier, and stays in pretty good shape, he is kind of a driven, type a sort of guy. you can read a blurb about his drive in the post about the last SEAD hike on moosilauke we did, semi-together. the only problem with that, besides my being 'old' and under the weather, is he loves to catch up on these get togethers. while he can fly uphill and chat with the best of them, i have to heavy breathe in between filling him in on my exploits.


the good thing is he notices all this and slacks off the pace when needed, even stopping now and again to 'take in the view', local as it is. we get up to the top and take our skins off while eating a delicious cookie that his darling wife julie made for us. and after snapping simultaneous selfies, we started our slide down.

it was indeed stiff, and "loud" as jay called it. but we managed to descend without incident of the negative sort, maintaining our smiles. and stopping for some more photo opps.













we were skiing the fresh cat track as even though it was a tad chunky, it was the only soft spot on the hill. when i got past jay on this headwall, i stopped and took a movie of him. while his skate-skiing double pole technique is bonafide--i don't know where i get mine.

the "loud" part of the skiing is evident, especially at the end (as is my booming voice). when we made it down to the vehicles, we promised we would do it again--next time sooner than later. maybe even after we trimmed his skins.

it just so happened that friday night it snowed about four inches. saturday morning, skip called me around 10 and we headed back over to the skiway. he had also stopped there thursday, but earlier than jay and i. he decided it was way to icy. today was a different story. when we started up, the snow was still powdery. the first run down was fluffy-fast and as long as you didn't set an edge too hard, you barely noticed the ice underneath.

we skinned up for a second go. this time, the sun had warmed up the fresh snow and started to make it a bit sticky. but, all in all, we had a great couple of runs. our only wish was that jay could have been there. that and i would have had my camera out...

go outside and play...!

ps turns out jay was there saturday--grabbing first tracks really early and with his camera!