October 18, 2005, Mt Washington (NH)
10/18/05
US elsewhere
2724
5
Started at 2028' Pinkham Notch visitor center to hike up the very gradually ascending Old Jackson Road under temporarily dry conditions. (Had rained for the entire three-hour drive up from Boston that morning.) Hoped to start skinning once we reached the Auto Road, but had to wait until 3700' to encounter any remaining snow, then started skinning at almost 4300' with only one very short portage during the entire way to the 6288' summit.
Weather started spitting at us when we emerged onto the road, and gradually became heavier and more frozen as we ascended. Wind of course picked up too. At the summit, wind chill was a reported 14F with almost no vis - was able to find our way around the various summit structures (as well as find the actual summit marker) only by memory from previous trips.
Conditions for the 2000'+ vert ski descent were a mix of uneven frozen ice (ugh), smooth frozen ice (pretty nice actually), and some softer snow at lower elevations (very nice). Snowpack resulting from the three feet of recorded snowfall ranged from massive drifts to thin layers of ice, with just about everything in between.
Additional pictures, details, and commentary from the peanut gallery available here:
http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=11936
Weather started spitting at us when we emerged onto the road, and gradually became heavier and more frozen as we ascended. Wind of course picked up too. At the summit, wind chill was a reported 14F with almost no vis - was able to find our way around the various summit structures (as well as find the actual summit marker) only by memory from previous trips.
Conditions for the 2000'+ vert ski descent were a mix of uneven frozen ice (ugh), smooth frozen ice (pretty nice actually), and some softer snow at lower elevations (very nice). Snowpack resulting from the three feet of recorded snowfall ranged from massive drifts to thin layers of ice, with just about everything in between.
Additional pictures, details, and commentary from the peanut gallery available here:
http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=11936
These people are stealing our snow!
Nice trip.
Nice trip.
Conditions for the 2000'+ vert ski descent were a mix of uneven frozen ice (ugh), smooth frozen ice (pretty nice actually), and some softer snow at lower elevations (very nice). Snowpack resulting from the three feet of recorded snowfall ranged from massive drifts to thin layers of ice, with just about everything in between.
You were right when you said you missed fall and plummeted right into winter for your first NH ski of the season. We haven't been so lucky around or neck of the woods in the PNW (Puyallup area :D, 35 miles south of Seattle) with temps hovering at 70(F) degrees on Saturday.
jonathan--thanks for the report from the east side! i grew up in nh, and so have a special place in my heart for the wicked awesome whites. ;D nice to hear that you all are getting some winter out there too...maybe you can send some of that our way...
hope you get lots more turns in this season!
hope you get lots more turns in this season!
Snow is forecast for the suburbs of *BOSTON* tonight. TR from yesterday coming up soon. (I feel like a bit player in some ecological disaster movie, celebrating the unusual weather unaware that it portends the end of civilization or something...)
hey Jonathan. it's good to hear that snow is falling in the east! even down south we're experiencing cold times. the weather today in Richmond, VA is quite cold. snow is expected tonight in the Blue Ridge Mountains nearby. if we get just one nanoinch i'm going skiing!
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