Skiing Clearcuts - any luck?

[Cat in January]

Just wondering if anyone has found sking clearcuts to be rewarding. I imagine there would need to be quite a bit of snow to cover the rocks, stumpage and debris. Do they ever have enough slope pitch to power turns?
Just thinking about skiing while waiting for a T storm to roll through.

Lee

[NtrentT]

The idea is tempting, but the times I've explored the areas I've thought about, it seemed impossible, in my area, too many stumps and brush and not enough snow.

[PWDR8S]

This past season has been one of the few that I've been able to cruise clearcuts without ....er ... lemme rephrase that..... with LESS concern for snowsnakes, rockrats, shinningstumps. While it has been rewarding, I have got hung up more than a couple times but the snow was deep and dense/hard enough to cushion my fall. Wait... I didn't say that.... I NEVER fall! :p ;) :rolleyes:

Sorry... no pics on those exploits..... some were outright poachings and others in the grey... no sure if I'm trespassing or not area. Lack of evidence protects my PRESUMED innocence. ;) :rolleyes: :D

[Tua Guy]

It was before my TR posting days here, but Mahatma Brad found a clearcut/burn site on the peak behind the old Moose Mt ski area (Wakefield?, don't know) while checking out the area on Google Earth. He told me about it and we were going to ski it tandem, but life got in the way and I ended up going alone. Actually a great day. The burned summit is easterly and maybe 300' higher than the return wheel at the top of the old ski area. This year's snow down our way was exceptional for a while and the usual hazards were covered at least to the point of picking a line. I come from a Nordic background and the minute you leave a trail or snowmobile track, all the hazards are what you deal with, so more of the same based on experience. Because of time constraints, I got just below the summit and began to descend, breaking skier's right, eventually ending up on the Moose Mt. trails which are maintained by a snowmobile club. Ran into some of that crew and apparently the mountain has been sold to someone who wants to develop the sports aspect of the site, and as part of the deal, a large chunk of the surrounding real estate is now conservation land. Depending on the snow, I'll go back next year. No 50 degree slopes in the following, but some places I've come across that are cross country/down mountain: skier's left on the Dana Place Trail off the Wildcat Mt.Valley Trail, 1/2 mile in or so, there is a clear cut, now grown a bit, leading to a drop into an old growth glade, a little thicker than the Birch Glade (met Telemark and posse there) on the WMVT. Roughly same pitch through the glade. Also, follow Town Hall Road (N) off of 16 in Bartlett up to dirt, pick up any of the logging roads before or adjacent to the Forest service gate leading to Eton, Me.. Climb up. break hiker's right on the old tote roads and pick a line down to the road. If you break back south far enough it actually ends in a cirque. Only been there once, but one more to go back to. This one is really interesting for tree skiers, from my limited experience. Parts are steeper and tighter than the Caretaker's Glade off the Tuck Ravine Trail. There is still NFS logging off and on that opens terrain. Side note: there's a great little pebble beach on the east branch of the Saco on the Town Hall Rd. ride down, anywhere from 8-12 feet deep depending on the flow, and some scours upstream, 4-8 feet deep. Depending on the crowd, you may not need a swimsuit. So much to ski, so little time. See you out there.

[Cat in January]

Thanks PWDR8S for your experiences and thank you Tua Guy for the detailed Beta. The Town Hall Road site sounds very interesting.

[Tua Guy]

Thanks PWDR8S for your experiences and thank you Tua Guy for the detailed Beta. The Town Hall Road site sounds very interesting.Enough snow and enough time, next year. See you out there.