Auto road open! What's good...?

[skimtwashington]

Auto rd is open to top! My car is now the backpack! I have a ski -caddy. I'm bringing ....everything! Any reports on snow in Great Gulf? East Snowfields? Anyone going Saturday?
Are blackflies out yet in the valley? Get high, above the fly.....Roam the dome and carve the cone........... See you there

[awf170]

Auto rd is open to top! My car is now the backpack! I have a ski -caddy. I'm bringing ....everything! Any reports on snow in Great Gulf? East Snowfields? Anyone going Saturday?
Are blackflies out yet in the valley? Get high, above the fly.....Roam the dome and carve the cone........... See you there

Sorry to kill your hopes, but there is nothing worthwhile left up there.

[samthaman]

anything not worthwhile still up there? i wanna get some turns in june, just because, and i was hoping it would hold out.

[skimtwashington]

There's got to be something to ski....where are the cams view of todays for view of the snowfields....there has always been something at auto road's opening to top, to ski...this would be a defining testament for the season .......say it's not true....

[riverc0il]

I would like to see some cams too. Haven't seen a first hand report yet that there is nothing worth skiing up there. Might depend on your definition of skiing though :lol: but a few patches to link together some turns is all someone needs and it sure beats hiking up and down to Tucks if there is even 100+ vertical left.

[andyzee]

I would like to see some cams too. Haven't seen a first hand report yet that there is nothing worth skiing up there. Might depend on your definition of skiing though :lol: but a few patches to link together some turns is all someone needs and it sure beats hiking up and down to Tucks if there is even 100+ vertical left.


I always say that it depends on your goal and perspective. If your goal is to hike, then finding 100 or 200 feet is a bonus. If your goal is to ski, then 100 or 200 feet could suck, but then comes in a different perspective.

riverc0il, come on dude, 4 days to go! ;)

[awf170]

Alright, there might be something to ski, but not much. You could probably link together a 100 ft. of vertical in the east snowfields. Probably a bit more in the West snowfields. Maybe 200 ft. in the top of Airplane and Pipeline. The Great Gulf Trail might be skiable, but probably has a ton of rocks sticking out. The snowfields just north of Lakes of Clouds are probably still good for 200-300 ft. of vertical, but that is pretty far from the auto road. The top of Burt Ravine might still be good for about 400-500 ft. of vert., but once again that is getting pretty far from the road. I really think that Left Gully and Chute are way better option as of now. Monroe Brook is probably even a lot better.

[riverc0il]

Without recent trip reports, I think predicting what will be best this weekend based on old data is a crap shot. It has been very hot up here this week and anything could have happened to the various snow packs. Best bet is probably to play it safe and go with the areas that definitely will have snow (Left Gully and Chute the obvious contendors). Though with the Auto Road open, I would really love to see some visual beta regarding just how little is left. I am still nursing the remnents of an in grown toe nail and have no ski days during May yet. A hike up to Tuckerman is probably not going to happen, but I could lap a 100-200 of the Snowfields no problem. Then again, there is always Sugarloaf which is probably the best skiing in the Northeast at this point.

[awf170]

Without recent trip reports, I think predicting what will be best this weekend based on old data is a crap shot. It has been very hot up here this week and anything could have happened to the various snow packs. Best bet is probably to play it safe and go with the areas that definitely will have snow (Left Gully and Chute the obvious contendors). Though with the Auto Road open, I would really love to see some visual beta regarding just how little is left. I am still nursing the remnents of an in grown toe nail and have no ski days during May yet. A hike up to Tuckerman is probably not going to happen, but I could lap a 100-200 of the Snowfields no problem. Then again, there is always Sugarloaf which is probably the best skiing in the Northeast at this point.

It really isn't a crap shot. You can see all this stuff from the webcams, besides the GG. And with the GG, I was in there about 10 days ago it was very close to done then.


If I were you I would just do Sugarloaf, it is a further drive but there isn't much hiking and you don't have to pay to drive up.


East snowfields looking done:
http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/cam/ravines/?MWOSID=007cbb377cded3fdea21dfab4ea569de

[PWDR8S]

Hey... isn't surf up there at the bomb shelter on top now? Someone give him a call.

I still think you could get a couple hundred feet on the East Snow.... it'll bottleneck in a couple places and be hotter than anything.

[riverc0il]

Alright, now we are taking here with some visual beta, those snowfields are definitely cooked.

[skimtwashington]

Okay..........definitely a bad snow year....I remember skiing down to near spalding lake in GG for almost a COUPLE WEEKS or more after auto rd opened ....in several consecutive years....where the hell did they put all the snow they shovelled off the auto road so that they could open it....put it back!....on to the snowfields to extend them........
"..I still think you could get a couple hundred feet on the East Snow.... it'll bottleneck in a couple places and be hotter than anything.".............
Yeah....you're right...that's the spirit......Have fun in tucks everyone...
__________________

[lacman]

Alright, now we are taking here with some visual beta, those snowfields are definitely cooked.

New photos from http://www.tuckerman.org...
http://www.tuckerman.org/photos/tucks/images/2007-05-25%20Summit%20Cone%20and%20snowfields.jpg

http://www.tuckerman.org/photos/tucks/images/2007-05-25%20Tucks%20from%20Lion%20Head.jpg

[awf170]

Okay..........definitely a bad snow year....I remember skiing down to near spalding lake in GG for almost a COUPLE WEEKS or more after auto rd opened ....in several consecutive years....where the hell did they put all the snow they shovelled off the auto road so that they could open it....put it back!....on to the snowfields to extend them........
"..I still think you could get a couple hundred feet on the East Snow.... it'll bottleneck in a couple places and be hotter than anything.".............
Yeah....you're right...that's the spirit......Have fun in tucks everyone...
__________________


It was because of the wind the wind direction, not because it was a bad year. Monroe Brook, Ammo Ravine, Burt Ravine, and the West snowfields had more snow then in a very long time. Monroe Brook is probably still in pretty good condition which is basically unheard-of for this time of year. It still wasn't a good year, but not really a bad one. The snow was just more spread of this year over both sides of the Mt. instead of just all on one side.

[RR]

Airplane has a way of rewarding the persistant. I figure there will be at least two sections by now. But scrambling between them will probably be worthwhile for any here.

[jshefftz]

I talked with someone who skied Monroe Brook in excellent conditions on Tuesday.
But that was back on . . . Tuesday. Could be quite a bit different now.
As for Otto, see my detailed TR for yesterday (which will be posted in just a few minutes).

[andyzee]

Hey, I'm new to Mt Washington so don't know too much as far as names and stuff goes, but here's what I saw.

This past weekend we took a ride up to Mt. Washington again. The plan was to drive up the Autoroad on Saturday, hike around the summit and get to know the place a bit better, then ski Tucks on Sunday. The following are pics from Saturday. Would most definetly like to ski this next year.

East Snowfields
http://killingtonaccessrd.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10002/P5260050.JPG

Walk on the snowy side
http://killingtonaccessrd.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10002/P5260073.JPG

Skiers in the Great Gulf
http://killingtonaccessrd.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10002/P5260084.JPG

http://killingtonaccessrd.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10002/P5260086.JPG

http://killingtonaccessrd.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10002/P5260094.JPG

http://killingtonaccessrd.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10002/P5260102.JPG

Looking down a ski trail in the Great Gulf

http://killingtonaccessrd.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10002/P5260104.JPG

[PWDR8S]

Great pics! E. Snowfields don't look too bad either! Think I'll go very very soon.

[RR]

Looks like a great day out! Thanks :cooldog:

[M@]

ah snow... I remember ye well.

Rep

M@