yogiskier
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
After years of wanting to do the classic beginner backcountry tour at Mount Washington in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, it finally happened last Sunday! I joined with Inclusive Ski Touring, a non-profit staffed by volunteer guides. We met up at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center (elevation 2,020 ft), to skin up 2.4 miles on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail (TRT) to Hermit Lake Caretaker’s Shelter, aka HoJo’s (elevation 3,950 ft), and then ski down the John Sherburne Trail. According to David Goodman's Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast, the "Sherbie" is the most popular backountry ski trail in the East.
Already trepidatious about skiing a relatively narrow, ungroomed trail, I nervously checked the weather all week as I was worried that the warm-up/rain/temperature plummet would result in inhospitable ice, but we lucked out with timing, as there was a Friday storm overnight into Saturday that dropped several inches of fresh snow! (Seriously lucked out, I should say, as the very next day, Monday, brought lots of rain, and on Tuesday the Sherb had become a raging river!) Even though cloudy skies had been forecasted for the day, as often happens in the mountains, the sun did make an appearance here and there as we made our ascent. We took a relaxed pace on the uphill, with several breaks for learning, snacks, layer adjustments, and re-grouping. For example, our lead guide, Stu, took us off the TRT momentarily to demonstrate and then have us practice different ways to break trail in fresh snow, such as the AVA and kickturns. Besides technique, he also discussed the importance of group dynamics in the backcountry, and how important it is to have empathy for your ski partners, as this is vital for safety and having an enjoyable time, versus blindly pursuing a ski objective. I really felt in my happy place climbing up the trail lined with beautiful snow-covered trees and enjoyed the friendliness of skiers, hikers, and ice climbers all courteously sharing the route.
We took a longer break once we reached HoJo’s, where we set down our packs on the outdoor patio, snacked, chatted, while watching skiers farther and higher up on Mt Washington. The buzz on the patio was about a small avalanche that was triggered earlier that day on one of the lines, Sluice - the skier got out of it unharmed. The avalanche risk that day was orange - Considerable. Then we transitioned to downhill mode. Stu described the Sherburne like a “blue bump trail,” which made me nervous, as I have very little experience with bumps. When I lack confidence, I regress, so at the beginning I was in the backseat and reverted to wedging, but after I bit I remembered how to make turns and it actually became fun! The bumps were small and mostly soft, so actually the most approachable moguls I’ve ever had to stare down Unfortunately, something I could have done to help my confidence was to get my skis waxed before the trip - they were on the dry side - I just didn’t make it happen before setting off on my trip, but I should have!
The guides and group members were all supportive of one another, and just like with the ascent, Stu broke down the descent piece by piece, where he’d give us a preview of what was next, things to watch out for like exposed rock and then we’d re-group on a flat section. I’d say the participants varied between mid-intermediate to low-advanced level skiers. Once we returned to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, we circled up briefly to de-brief before going our separate ways. It was a wonderful experience – everything I’d hoped it’d be - and I can't stop thinking about doing more backcountry since getting back!!
Already trepidatious about skiing a relatively narrow, ungroomed trail, I nervously checked the weather all week as I was worried that the warm-up/rain/temperature plummet would result in inhospitable ice, but we lucked out with timing, as there was a Friday storm overnight into Saturday that dropped several inches of fresh snow! (Seriously lucked out, I should say, as the very next day, Monday, brought lots of rain, and on Tuesday the Sherb had become a raging river!) Even though cloudy skies had been forecasted for the day, as often happens in the mountains, the sun did make an appearance here and there as we made our ascent. We took a relaxed pace on the uphill, with several breaks for learning, snacks, layer adjustments, and re-grouping. For example, our lead guide, Stu, took us off the TRT momentarily to demonstrate and then have us practice different ways to break trail in fresh snow, such as the AVA and kickturns. Besides technique, he also discussed the importance of group dynamics in the backcountry, and how important it is to have empathy for your ski partners, as this is vital for safety and having an enjoyable time, versus blindly pursuing a ski objective. I really felt in my happy place climbing up the trail lined with beautiful snow-covered trees and enjoyed the friendliness of skiers, hikers, and ice climbers all courteously sharing the route.
We took a longer break once we reached HoJo’s, where we set down our packs on the outdoor patio, snacked, chatted, while watching skiers farther and higher up on Mt Washington. The buzz on the patio was about a small avalanche that was triggered earlier that day on one of the lines, Sluice - the skier got out of it unharmed. The avalanche risk that day was orange - Considerable. Then we transitioned to downhill mode. Stu described the Sherburne like a “blue bump trail,” which made me nervous, as I have very little experience with bumps. When I lack confidence, I regress, so at the beginning I was in the backseat and reverted to wedging, but after I bit I remembered how to make turns and it actually became fun! The bumps were small and mostly soft, so actually the most approachable moguls I’ve ever had to stare down Unfortunately, something I could have done to help my confidence was to get my skis waxed before the trip - they were on the dry side - I just didn’t make it happen before setting off on my trip, but I should have!
The guides and group members were all supportive of one another, and just like with the ascent, Stu broke down the descent piece by piece, where he’d give us a preview of what was next, things to watch out for like exposed rock and then we’d re-group on a flat section. I’d say the participants varied between mid-intermediate to low-advanced level skiers. Once we returned to Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, we circled up briefly to de-brief before going our separate ways. It was a wonderful experience – everything I’d hoped it’d be - and I can't stop thinking about doing more backcountry since getting back!!
