Ski Mountaineering in NE USA

Tina

Tina

New member
Hi,

My name is Tina and I'm wondering if there is anyone out there who would like to provide me some information. I recently moved to NYC from Norway and miss my ski-touring/randonee skiing/ski mountaineering (I'm not even sure what you Americans call it, I'm talking about skinning up a mountainside that has no skilift on it and skiing down that mountain in powder). If anyone woul like to answer these questions I would be verry happy:

* Is it is possible to go ski-touring somewhere within drive-there-and-back-in-a-weekend distance from NYC?
* If so, whic place is most worh while going to? (I have done a lot of this kind of skiing, am comfortable with all aspects of it and perfer steep mountains if there are any.)
* When is there enough snow for the season to start?
* What maps should I get?
* In this part of the world, what is the correct term for this kind of skiing?
* Anything else I need to know?

Thanks alot!
Tina
 
There are certainly people on the forum who can give you more detailed information, but I can answer some of the basics.

Tina":22yc2fv4 said:
* Is it is possible to go ski-touring somewhere within drive-there-and-back-in-a-weekend distance from NYC?
Click to expand...
Yes

Tina":22yc2fv4 said:
* If so, whic place is most worh while going to? (I have done a lot of this kind of skiing, am comfortable with all aspects of it and perfer steep mountains if there are any.)
Click to expand...
Weekend drive distance probably rules out places like the Chic Chocs of Quebec and the Katahdin area of Maine, so the Presidential Range of New Hampshire and the Adirondacks of New York are good options. The Presidential Range is probably the most popular/practical of all the places. If steep terrain isn't an absolute requirement, then many places in the Northeastern U.S., especially Northern New York State and Northern New England are possibilities.


Tina":22yc2fv4 said:
* In this part of the world, what is the correct term for this kind of skiing?
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"Backcountry Skiing" seems to be the most common term, although people usually understand other terms like "ski mountaineering".

Tina":22yc2fv4 said:
* Anything else I need to know?
Click to expand...
Other people will probably give you additional information, but one important thing would be to make sure your avalanche skills and gear are sufficient for the terrain you'll be visiting.

J.Spin
 
Tina":2x28xn6s said:
* If so, whic place is most worh while going to? (I have done a lot of this kind of skiing, am comfortable with all aspects of it and perfer steep mountains if there are any.)
* What maps should I get?
* In this part of the world, what is the correct term for this kind of skiing?
* Anything else I need to know?
Click to expand...

You can find many answers to your questions in these two books (one for VT/NY and the other for NH/ME. Goodman's guide to Backcountry skiing. There is good information on some of the routes.

http://users.adelphia.net/~davgood/index.html

Tina":2x28xn6s said:
* When is there enough snow for the season to start?
Click to expand...

Well no one for sure know. But this is a report from last October 25th at Jay by myself (no touring gear) and my friend Lucky (Treekers). I know that Riverc0il, J.Spin and Lftgly also did some reports been where skinning has been involved. You might want to do a search on reports from these people. Lftgly doesn't write much, but I would say that I think he's one of the most hardcore backcountry skiers writing on FTO.

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=2321
 
All I can say is great original post - sincere and to the point. Can't wait to see the response.

Welcome to the USA Tina!
 
Hi Tina,

Welcome to the forums and we look forward to seeing some of your reports in the future if you wouldn't mind keeping us posted on your travels.

Definitely possible to day trip ski touring from NYC. While I am unfamiliar with New York backcountry skiing, I know there is great ski mountaineering in the 'Dacks (Adirondack Mountains). Here is a book you might be interested in that sparks the imagination without giving away the details:
http://www.dacksdescents.com/

Northern Vermont and the Presidentials in New Hampshire may not be doable in a day trip but should definitely be on your radar. You will definitely want to pick up both copies of Backcountry Skiing Adventures by John Goodman (NY/VT and NH/ME/MA) which provides beta on all the essential and well known routes. I suspect the Thunderbolt in MA may be the closest to your location of all the usual suspects John Goodman details.

Regarding snowfall, it varies from season to season. I made my first tracks almost a year ago to the day last season. While having enough natural snow in certain mountain locations in October is not rare, it is certainly not the norm. Most backcountry and mountaineering lines will not properly fill up until January the earliest. Though good earned turns can usually be found readily by late November or early December in most years. However, north-eastern United States weather can be very fickle. Essentially, remain vigilant and be ready for anything but don't get your hopes very high this early in the season. Powderfreak posts often to this forum with weather forecasts and is an invaluable resource for trip planning.

Regarding terminology, backcountry skiing, earned/earning turns, touring, and alpine touring are all common, mountaineering not so much but no one will not understand what you mean.

Cheers,
-Steve
 
I wish I found a post like this when I was single!

All good advice, in the above replies. The Goodman books especially. In a general sense there are two seasons here for backcountry, Winter and Spring. The winter skiing is distributed all around the regions mountains, and tends to involve tree skiing and relatively lower angle terrain. I would focus on the woods of Northern Vermont, where you will find the most annual snowfall, and fantastic powder skiing. It can still be steep, but the real steep stuff, is more consistently skied in the spring (forgive me if this is obvious). There are a lot of opportunities for "slack country" with lift assisted access from the ski areas.

For late winter and spring, the above timberline alpine areas of the Presidential Range (Mt. Washington and other peaks in NH) open up and you will find excellent steep skiing (documented in the Goodman books). There is another web site/Bulletin Board. (TimeforTuckerman.com) that focuses on this very popular area. The Mt. Washington skiing can also be divided into two categories. Tuckerman Ravine (95 % of the traffic, mob scene) and "the rest" where you will find a more typical backcountry experience. Enjoy. And don't let anyone tell you there is no good skiing in the North East.
 
Here's a link to a Mount Greylock map, showing the Thunderbolt Trail. Some recommend ascending the Bellows Pipe trail to keep the descent pristine. I haven't hit it yet, but it's on my list.
 
yak said:
Here's a link to a Mount Greylock map, showing the Thunderbolt Trail. Some recommend ascending the Bellows Pipe trail to keep the descent pristine. I haven't hit it yet, but it's on my list.
Click to expand...

You can also ski at Petersburg Pass outside of Williamston MA (@ 4 hours from NYC). It's an old ski area that has some fair open terrain and is easily accessable from RT 2. You have to get a few good snowfalls on it to cover, same for the T-bolt on Greylock. Also, I'm not sure whether the T-bolt is skiable anymore. It was maintained for a while by a couple of Williamstown locals (former HS racers who trained on it) who may have started families by now and don't have the time.

Here's a link: http://www.nelsap.org/ny/petersburg.html
 
Thanks everyone who posted replies! Everyting you posted has been very helpful to me.
I read the books you recommeded, they are great!
I was so excited to lear about the CCC Camp trails, who would have guessed they existed?!
:P
Tina
 
Just back from a short hiatus.

Tina, you certainly came to the right place. I'm from near Poughkeepsie, NY and I don't have much to add to what's been written.

I've always considered the Presidentials to be the definition of Eastern ski mountaineering. You will find a wealth of info and kindred spirits by starting there.
 
Lifty@50":3omn3ufe said:
yak":3omn3ufe said:
Here's a link to a Mount Greylock map, showing the Thunderbolt Trail. Some recommend ascending the Bellows Pipe trail to keep the descent pristine. I haven't hit it yet, but it's on my list.
Click to expand...

You can also ski at Petersburg Pass outside of Williamston MA (@ 4 hours from NYC). It's an old ski area that has some fair open terrain and is easily accessable from RT 2. You have to get a few good snowfalls on it to cover, same for the T-bolt on Greylock. Also, I'm not sure whether the T-bolt is skiable anymore. It was maintained for a while by a couple of Williamstown locals (former HS racers who trained on it) who may have started families by now and don't have the time.

Here's a link: http://www.nelsap.org/ny/petersburg.html
Click to expand...

I rode up that pass in September on an MS fundraising bike ride and I was checking out the terrain as I stopped for a break in the parking lot of the old ski area. I was wearing roadie shoes, so didn't get a chance to explore the trail, but it looks very promising. Has anyone skied it or all the way down to Route 7? At some point it turns into a creek bed, but on a good snow day, I would expect that it would be doable.
 
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