TR: inadvertantly unlazy Mount Washington, New Jongshire w/ many scenics, less skiing

**ex-powderbroker** · 05-26-2010, 12:01 PM

There's been a lot of people who want to get into the ethics of posting TR's about Mt Washington (which everyone does, every spring, here and on many other sites, everywhere) but I wanted to post our trip because I think that our objectives (to ski and camp for awhile) and route (west to east and back again) were quasi unique, very ridiculous, and sort of cool.

So to shed a little light here is a more realistic depiction of a huge mountain that is more than the sum of some (albeit very good) ski porn, and a spring ritual based in Tuckerman's Ravine.

Headed up with NJFreeSkier to pay a kings ransom for passage up a 7.6mile secret highway (established 1861 and still unknown) to New Hampshire's highest peak.

A postcard of said road, circa 1915, from Wikipedia.

Definitely some contrasts in seasons going on around here.

This is like some Spaghetti Western scenery here.

My personal objective here:

Damn you, internet!

Oh well, we can go ski somewhere else.

And boot up a million or so times.

Let's go ski one of the other snowfields down to tux.

Hmm, the photos from two days ago did not make it clear enough that we would have to downclimb 200 vert of sketchy loose boulders to get into Right Gully.

And then have the real East Coast pleasure of bushwhacking across some trees and brush, even in the above treeline!

Where's NJFS?

Oh, there he is.

Looking down Right. There's at least one crevasse going across,
and the lunch rocks below that.

In spring, gnar is a dish best served with corn.

Let me butcher a quote from VT-Freeheel when I say that "Tux looked as haggard as Mad River Glen after Tele-fest."

Really stoked to have made it down before dark, that would have been really embarrassing.

Breakfast of Champions as written by Hermit Lake.

The ranger, already steaming at us for having been off trail through vegetation asked us to take the Lions head trail rather than ascend through the bowl.

I haven't had this much fun on an endless hike since the ADK!

At least there were some views.

What the hell is that, a snowfield for ants?

a hospital for ants?! haha, got you all with the same joke, twice!

After getting more familiar with the same run, NJFS decides to take the 40+ chute, switch. You're a bad man, Matt!

Arizona, NH

Picked this spot out to celebrate all the upcoming Wiccan holidays.

Later, "White" Mountains

Let's party:

And just like that, this season was OVER. Look for my next TR about an epic swimming hole I just remembered about in the Catskills.

edit to add NJFS's pics from page 2:

Originally Posted by ml242

one more skiing, one climbing from njfs.

**mtnbiker/boarder** · 05-26-2010, 12:29 PM

well done and played matt....way to get after it and keep pushing....This Tr looked alittle better and just as much a work out as the ADK SLOG FEST that you , TC And ML242 did....thanks for sharing.....

**BigDaddy** · 05-26-2010, 12:37 PM

Very entertaining... thx.

I especially liked the VTF quote, "Tux looked as haggard as Mad River Glen after Tele-fest."

**thin cover** · 05-26-2010, 02:17 PM

Nice Matt and Matt, great pics and glad to see you had good time, thanks for stopping by as always.

**peterslovo** · 05-26-2010, 02:31 PM

Nice trip guys, thanks for sharing!

**Natedogg** · 05-26-2010, 02:45 PM

Nice work! Tuckerman does look haggard! Damn! Glad we didn't over there...

1. Who talks about the ethics of Mt Washington TRs? What is the problem with MW TRs???
2. The people hiking up Airplane in that photo have been skiing Mt Washington since before the 'modern' internet, so don't blame the internet (I might even be the lowest one--not sure if that is before I got passed up or not

)
3. Ski somewhere else? Thought you were coming over to Airplane? I kept an eye out for you guys coming over, and when I finally skied down and you hadn't shown, I figured you guys would be skiing down as we were hiking back up... Oh well.

**Dexter Rutecki** · 05-26-2010, 03:12 PM

Usual debate about divulging stashes.

IMO the Kristen Ulmer article years ago in Powder (late 90's) about GG/Auto Road access had much more potential to blow the place up than anything posted here would, but I don't think it had any real effect. In fact, I have yet to see any single article/TR/other internet posting have a significant impact on traffic, anywhere (even ski mag cover articles about areas). But that never stops the hand wringing. (I don't advocate broadcasting stash locations, I'm just saying I have yet to see such things have any real impact anywhere).

**samthaman** · 05-26-2010, 03:26 PM

awesome man, that looked like a lot of fun.

**Jonathan S.** · 05-26-2010, 03:35 PM

Originally Posted by ml242

And then have the real East Coast pleasure of bushwhacking across some trees and brush, even in the above treeline!

And apparently with alpine downhill gear too, yipes! Nice tour though -- Otto-assisted descents into Tux have a pretty short window of opportunity each season (for the reasons you've accurately documented), so cool to see it done.

Originally Posted by Natedogg

Who talks about the ethics of Mt Washington TRs? What is the problem with MW TRs???

Clearly you missed the "blog-free zone" sign that was posted this season at the base of a certain access point to MW . . . which of course simply engendered even more MW TRs!

**Dexter Rutecki** · 05-26-2010, 04:06 PM

You need something like the Stowe mafia to guarantee the blog-free nature of the place is respected. Those Stowe gangstas don't fuck around.

**I've seen black diamonds!** · 05-26-2010, 05:02 PM

Nice work Matt. One of my most frightening moments on skis was down hiking into Right Gully in the rain in Lange XR9's.

Looks like I won't make it up again before the snow is gone, but I'm going to do a couple variations of the Presidential traverse this summer to scope potential lines and approaches among the less trafficked peaks. Let me know if you're interested in such a trip. Someday we'll ski together instead of almost skiing together on a monthly basis.

Also, how can we talk about "secret stashes" that are described in detail in a guide book and happen to be on the biggest mountain in the region.

**icelanticskier** · 05-26-2010, 05:37 PM

Originally Posted by Jonathan S.

Clearly you missed the "blog-free zone" sign that was posted this season at the base of a certain access point to MW . . . which of course simply engendered even more MW TRs!

looks great in my kitchen. glad i always pack a sharp blade. those zip ties were tough!

plenty of solitude on the big hill from november till june. winter is so quiet up there. so glad vermont gets all of the snow, cuz that's where most folks go.....till the big spring pilgrimage.

nice report, a nice outside the box tour and camp.

rog

**gpcharles** · 05-26-2010, 06:18 PM

awesome trip Matt!

If I'm not mistaken, and those pics are from Saturday, those damn internet skiers in your "first objective" would be none other than those damn FAMOUS internet skiers... green shirt on skier in the lead would be me, and snowboarder behind would be the Stowe Curmudgeon Splitboarder... can we get a 100% crop? That'd be absolutely too funny if so.

AWESOME TRIP! Very unique. Sad that it's melting so early this year, but such is life.... In 2006 I'd say it was almost identical conditions, if not MORE filled in mid June. Back then I was too poor for the rhode being fresh out of college, so we hiked up, skied the snowfields, then bushwacked down LG and camped at hermit lake. Day two we just schussed the patches left in the bowl visible in this picture taken from the LH

**Jonathan S.** · 05-26-2010, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by gpetrics

In 2006 I'd say it was almost identical conditions, if not MORE filled in mid June.

That year Otto didn't open to the summit until May 27, and on May 29 the NE Snowfield was pretty much full length.
I was out west for much of June that year, but when I did my eastern season finale as part of the running race on June 17, after switching to hiking & ski gear at the end of the race, I started hiking down toward Tux and . . . what a surprise, the NE snowfield was still hanging in there w/ ~250' vert! (Which tempted me to just hike back up after that short ski then hitch a ride down the road . . . but I had to complete the circuit.)

**mtl_ripper** · 05-26-2010, 07:04 PM

I got plenty of entertainment from this fine thread, thanks gents!

**buckethead** · 05-26-2010, 08:49 PM

nice report matt...and i see what you meant by brutal.
i was correct that it would have been impossible to day trip that trip!
but snow looked nice when you were on it.
hiking those boulders looked sketch indeed, glad all went well.

that pic of tux from the usual location looks surreal!

Originally Posted by ml242

it really does feel like the season has been poked by the proverbial fork...also thinking swimming holes at this point...but first i have a window a/c install to finish - i'm dying!

**milton** · 05-26-2010, 08:57 PM

gnarsome, nice work!

**Vt-Freeheel** · 05-27-2010, 04:24 AM

Very entertaining TR, shows what it takes to ride the ribbon of snow.
I did briefly consider joining you while enjoying the fine Hostel Tevere breakfast. But work was waiting until Hadji of Johnson called and twisted my arm to ride. Our crew of 6 rode Perry Hill for 3 hours then tailgated. Avoided full pack bouldering which does not look like fun.

**highanxiety** · 05-27-2010, 07:04 AM

Nice report and photos, looks like it was a fun adventure..

Originally Posted by Vt-Freeheel

Our crew of 6 rode Perry Hill for 3 hours then tailgated. Avoided full pack bouldering which does not look like fun.

VTFH hows Perry Hill riding? Is everything open?

**akokskis** · 05-27-2010, 09:16 AM

Wow, awesome report, and it looks like a whole lot of fun. Wish I had been able to make it up last weekend, but alas work doesn't do itself (if only though, if only...)

**gpcharles** · 05-27-2010, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Vt-Freeheel

Very entertaining TR, shows what it takes to ride the ribbon of snow.
I did briefly consider joining you while enjoying the fine Hostel Tevere breakfast. But work was waiting until Hadji of Johnson called and twisted my arm to ride. Our crew of 6 rode Perry Hill for 3 hours then tailgated. Avoided full pack bouldering which does not look like fun.

to be fair to MTW, there were plenty more goods that didn't require the effort of this TR last weekend. This 300 vert shot was untracked, pucker steep, and had perfect peel away... and closer to the car (and the "almighty tailgate") than ML's "primary objective"

don't get me wrong, I love the ambitious and unique (and no doubt fun) outing ML put together here, and I'll be doing things like that again in my future.... but i'll tailgate a half mile from the "right wing" any day it's in...

**ex-powderbroker** · 05-27-2010, 09:49 AM

Great picture!

I think I saw you guys shooting in there (sunday?)... That cooler looked very short and very sweet.

I'm just really happy that I got to be outside, and that nothing went wrong.

I aways thought that Nihiles was the jinx, not me, but I've started to doubt it lately. Like ISBD recalls, downclimbing into Right has some decent pucker factor, pretty much more than anything I felt with my skis attached basically the whole season, guess I'm doing it all wrong.

Nate - sorry I missed you dude! We asked everybody if they were you and got nothing. I don't really care about the bc debate about stashes, but I only post names though if they're on maps.

MTW is no secret though and those posters that illustrate the the headwall (right, left, sluice, chute, and lobster claw) have all been divulged for almost a century, so I use those names freely. The other stuff is just pictures on the internet to me.

TC man, if it wasn't for you telling me how awesome MTW is on every car ride we took this winter, I wouldn't have gotten those days in. So thanks, and freaking heal up already.

It really is something special and I'd forgotten that kind of.

**strawjack** · 05-27-2010, 10:58 AM

enough with this "mt washington road" thing. we all know it doesn't exist. you can photo crop all you want, but we are not fooled. i know mansfield when i see it!