Skiing Mount Katahdin

[springfever]

I am looking for an other area a little closer to home (Halifax) in Maine, NH or Vermont. That offers some good backcountry/telemark skiing. I am wondering about Mount Katahdin in Maine. Any body ski it? would you recommend it? or do you have any other favourite spots?

Thanks for any info

[Steveboarder]

Katahdin looks like it is in david goodmans book that is talked about in the "backcountry motherloads" thread below, check that out. I ordered the book myself but havent received it yet.

[RR]

I've not tried these folks, but they usually run a couple of trips to the real "big K":

acadia mountain guides (http://www.acadiamountainguides.com)

[RaceFace Rider]

Skiing Katahdin is possible. If you were to ask the Baxter State Park Authority about it, they would deny that anyone skis the mountain. This is for the reason that Buzz Caverly, BSP director, DOES NOT WANT YOU IN "HIS" PARK. The reality is that if you hammer them on it, and plead your case before the state park authority, you can go in. Standard rules apply. You need at least four people in your party, one must be EMT certified at a minimum. You need to file an itinerary, a plan, an equipment list, and each applicant in your party must provide a backcountry "resume." If your application ordeal is successful, you may do Katahdin. Be forewarned though, the rules for winter access to the great basin changed in 2000, and you are no longer permitted to ski from the south gate to Chimney Pond in one day. You will be forced to camp overnight at the 8 mile point (Roaring Brook). Of course some opted to do this voluntarily anyway since it is a haul over hilly terrain with heavy sleds, but it is not necessary as people have made it successfully the whole way in one day (and that last 3.3 miles to Chimney pond takes at least as long as the trip from the south gate just to give you something to gauge it by). Baxter does finally have an avy-savvy ranger living there in the winter, and conditions are notoriously harsh and subject to rapid-fluctuation.

[RaceFace Rider]

Skiing Katahdin is possible. If you were to ask the Baxter State Park Authority about it, they would deny that anyone skis the mountain. This is for the reason that Buzz Caverly, BSP director, DOES NOT WANT YOU IN "HIS" PARK. The reality is that if you hammer them on it, and plead your case before the state park authority, you can go in. Standard rules apply. You need at least four people in your party, one must be EMT certified at a minimum. You need to file an itinerary, a plan, an equipment list, and each applicant in your party must provide a backcountry "resume." If your application ordeal is successful, you may do Katahdin. Be forewarned though, the rules for winter access to the great basin changed in 2000, and you are no longer permitted to ski from the south gate to Chimney Pond in one day. You will be forced to camp overnight at the 8 mile point (Roaring Brook). Of course some opted to do this voluntarily anyway since it is a haul over hilly terrain with heavy sleds, but it is not necessary as people have made it successfully the whole way in one day (and that last 3.3 miles to Chimney pond takes at least as long as the trip from the south gate just to give you something to gauge it by). Baxter does finally have an avy-savvy ranger living there in the winter, and conditions are notoriously harsh and subject to rapid-fluctuation.

[DMC]

damn... Thats an ordeal before the ordeal...

I was staring at that beast on the way up to Limestone.... It's a beautiful mountain...

[RaceFace Rider]

I just read the replies. Good call on the climbing school. Basically, your best "in" is through an organization such as a climbing group/school, or else make friends with a ranger. The National Guard and the Army's alpine division seem to work well too, but I don't think they get to have as much fun. Finding three buddies and showing up for a day-trip won't fly in the winter.

[RaceFace Rider]

I just read the replies. Good call on the climbing school. Basically, your best "in" is through an organization such as a climbing group/school, or else make friends with a ranger. The National Guard and the Army's alpine division seem to work well too, but I don't think they get to have as much fun. Finding three buddies and showing up for a day-trip won't fly in the winter.

[RaceFace Rider]

I just read the replies. Good call on the climbing school. Basically, your best "in" is through an organization such as a climbing group/school, or else make friends with a ranger. The National Guard and the Army's alpine division seem to work well too, but I don't think they get to have as much fun. Finding three buddies and showing up for a day-trip won't fly in the winter.

[RR]

The real, "big K" is a very tough nut to crack. No matter the season, no matter the skill-set, no matter the preparedness of the party. Jim Shimberg (Plymouth) is a NH Guide with experience over on K. Mark Ritchey (N. Conway) is another. Either one of them can guide a party to Katahdin, on skis or any other way on land.

Going with a guide is the surest way to gain access to the park for skiing on the mountain.

Some years ago, when we lived up to Greenbush, Christine and I started out for a late May hike on big K via the Abol Slide. It was a beautiful day, we got an early start. Halfway up the slide a party was retreating and warning us of harsh weather. The weather looked okay to us.

They were scantily equipped, we were well equipped and in pretty good shape...so we pressed on. When we topped out of the slide, just below Thoreau Spring, gale force winds with mixed rain and sleet instantly pounded us. It seemed like a squall, so we shelled up and started for the spring. Shortly, the weather intensified, I was reduced to crawling, and my wife was blown down and sent sliding across a berry patch. We retreated.

Our ordeal was just getting started. The storm chased us down the slide. I was blown into rock and bush repeatedly, ditto for Christine. We went as fast as we could and finally were able to run down the slide and got away from the storm, just. It pursued us to the base of the slide and no further.

We walked back to the car, battered, but amazingly not bloodied, only scratched a bit. We backed the car around and looked out the window at the mountain, whose weather had just so murderously assulted us, to see a gorgeous clear spring day.

Crestfallen, we started back to Greenbush. Nature had another laugh at our expense.... a cow moose waddled out into the road, as causually as you please, directly in front of our car. Naturally I stopped. So did she. Madame moose looked us over very carefully for several minutes, then turned an sashayed down the middle of the road in front of us. I followed, driving slowly and keeping a good distance. This went on for over half a mile. I can tell you that the wiggle of a mooses backside is somewhat lewd...but it's a bunch easier to look at than the face. Good thing too. Anyway, the road surmounted a tree studded esker and at its high point there, the moose turned and looked at us again. Then she stepped into the trees and was lost to sight. We drove to the spot and I got out to look for tracks and see where she was. A couple of tracks and that's it...she was gone.

Glooscap (Abenaki spirit lord) had a good laugh...probably enjoys that one to this day, 23 years on.

[RaceFace Rider]

RR,

That hop up over the lip onto the tableland is famous for exactly what you described, Great weather until the moment you pop up over the top, then gale force ice and snow hitting you while blowing horizontally, especially in spring. I can't really remember quite how many times I have been in such a situation. I have nothing to prove, so now when I go and Pamola decides he doesn't want me there, I save myself a lot of bellyaching and just turn around. Although much lore surrounds the fickle, and apparently mean, nature of Pamola, my pragmatism leads me to believe that harsh, variable weather is the nature of the alpine lifestyle, no more and no less. However,for some reason when you are bear-hugging a rock to keep from being blown off a mountainside with hale hitting you in the face and lightning bolts are coming down too close for any rational person's comfort, one could almost be convinced that there really is something living up there that doesn't like uninvited visitors. I guess that's what I love about that place - it's full of surprises.

RR:

Some years ago, when we lived up to Greenbush, Christine and I started out for a late May hike on big K via the Abol Slide. It was a beautiful day, we got an early start. Halfway up the slide a party was retreating and warning us of harsh weather. The weather looked okay to us.

They were scantily equipped, we were well equipped and in pretty good shape...so we pressed on. When we topped out of the slide, just below Thoreau Spring, gale force winds with mixed rain and sleet instantly pounded us. It seemed like a squall, so we shelled up and started for the spring. Shortly, the weather intensified, I was reduced to crawling, and my wife was blown down and sent sliding across a berry patch. We retreated.

Our ordeal was just getting started. The storm chased us down the slide. I was blown into rock and bush repeatedly, ditto for Christine. We went as fast as we could and finally were able to run down the slide and got away from the storm, just. It pursued us to the base of the slide and no further.

We walked back to the car, battered, but amazingly not bloodied, only scratched a bit. We backed the car around and looked out the window at the mountain, whose weather had just so murderously assulted us, to see a gorgeous clear spring day.

Crestfallen, we started back to Greenbush. Nature had another laugh at our expense.... a cow moose waddled out into the road, as causually as you please, directly in front of our car. Naturally I stopped. So did she. Madame moose looked us over very carefully for several minutes, then turned an sashayed down the middle of the road in front of us. I followed, driving slowly and keeping a good distance. This went on for over half a mile. I can tell you that the wiggle of a mooses backside is somewhat lewd...but it's a bunch easier to look at than the face. Good thing too. Anyway, the road surmounted a tree studded esker and at its high point there, the moose turned and looked at us again. Then she stepped into the trees and was lost to sight. We drove to the spot and I got out to look for tracks and see where she was. A couple of tracks and that's it...she was gone.

Glooscap (Abenaki spirit lord) had a good laugh...probably enjoys that one to this day, 23 years on.

[RaceFace Rider]

RR,

That hop up over the lip onto the tableland is famous for exactly what you described, Great weather until the moment you pop up over the top, then gale force ice and snow hitting you while blowing horizontally, especially in spring. I can't really remember quite how many times I have been in such a situation. I have nothing to prove, so now when I go and Pamola decides he doesn't want me there, I save myself a lot of bellyaching and just turn around. Although much lore surrounds the fickle, and apparently mean, nature of Pamola, my pragmatism leads me to believe that harsh, variable weather is the nature of the alpine lifestyle, no more and no less. However,for some reason when you are bear-hugging a rock to keep from being blown off a mountainside with hale hitting you in the face and lightning bolts are coming down too close for any rational person's comfort, one could almost be convinced that there really is something living up there that doesn't like uninvited visitors. I guess that's what I love about that place - it's full of surprises.

RR:

Some years ago, when we lived up to Greenbush, Christine and I started out for a late May hike on big K via the Abol Slide. It was a beautiful day, we got an early start. Halfway up the slide a party was retreating and warning us of harsh weather. The weather looked okay to us.

They were scantily equipped, we were well equipped and in pretty good shape...so we pressed on. When we topped out of the slide, just below Thoreau Spring, gale force winds with mixed rain and sleet instantly pounded us. It seemed like a squall, so we shelled up and started for the spring. Shortly, the weather intensified, I was reduced to crawling, and my wife was blown down and sent sliding across a berry patch. We retreated.

Our ordeal was just getting started. The storm chased us down the slide. I was blown into rock and bush repeatedly, ditto for Christine. We went as fast as we could and finally were able to run down the slide and got away from the storm, just. It pursued us to the base of the slide and no further.

We walked back to the car, battered, but amazingly not bloodied, only scratched a bit. We backed the car around and looked out the window at the mountain, whose weather had just so murderously assulted us, to see a gorgeous clear spring day.

Crestfallen, we started back to Greenbush. Nature had another laugh at our expense.... a cow moose waddled out into the road, as causually as you please, directly in front of our car. Naturally I stopped. So did she. Madame moose looked us over very carefully for several minutes, then turned an sashayed down the middle of the road in front of us. I followed, driving slowly and keeping a good distance. This went on for over half a mile. I can tell you that the wiggle of a mooses backside is somewhat lewd...but it's a bunch easier to look at than the face. Good thing too. Anyway, the road surmounted a tree studded esker and at its high point there, the moose turned and looked at us again. Then she stepped into the trees and was lost to sight. We drove to the spot and I got out to look for tracks and see where she was. A couple of tracks and that's it...she was gone.

Glooscap (Abenaki spirit lord) had a good laugh...probably enjoys that one to this day, 23 years on.

[Jolly J]

Springfever,

I live in Fredericton, NB and I always check it out on my way by. I've planned on skiing it for a while. Still trying to get enough gear together first. Here is a link that should let you know what you need.

http://www.baxterstateparkauthority.com/camping/wintercamping.html

[bfast]

Such an ordeal to ski there!Plan a trip in there and expect breakable crust or windslab. Expecting better will likely lead to dissapointment. If it's better than that, great.