chomp
New member
Just a quick trip report from another year of sking in the bowl. If you want just the photos, here ya go:
http://gallery.backcountry.net/chomp-tucks06 (mine)
http://home.comcast.net/~uchuskies/2006.htm (Matt's)
My buddy Matt and I started off from Pinkham about 9:00 AM with full downhill equiptment. The trail for the firt half mile or so was complety bare, with patches of snow and ice starting sometime after that. It was a very warm day (45 degrees to start) and most of the snow was soft, making for good footing. We pushed to HoJo's where we took our first break and enjoyed the views and the warm weather. It was shorts and t-shirts at this point.
Having been up here last year during the Son of Inferno race, it was a very different atmosphere. It was Wednesday, and there were about 6 people at HoJo's - we had a picnic table all to ourselves. The hike from there to the base of the bowl was pleasant, and we could see that the Little Headwall was completly exposed. In the bowl, we could see about 20-30 people - virtually empty - and while Lunch Rocks looked so close, it was a HUGE effort to get there. The snow was rotting quickly, and footing was extremly soft. Add the 50 lbs of gear that I was carrying on my back, and I was struggling just to find solid footsteps.
After a snack break at the rocks, Matt and I suited up and began our climb up the boot ladder next to the Lip. The temperature at this point was in the 60 range, so the snow was very soft. We climbed, and climbed... above the headwall, past the Lion's Head Trail and into the Upper Snowfields. We took another break to catch out breathe and enjoy the fine views. The snow was like cold mashed potatoes, but we enjoyed the ride down to the top of the ravine.
From there, it was a scary trip over The Lip and into the Bowl. Sure, the Lip is "beginner extreme" according to Time for Tuckermans, but it is plenty extreme enough for Matt and I. Coverage on The Lip was excellent, and while there were some mogules that I was worried about, the snow was so soft that they just disingrated when my skis carved into them.
I thought about taking another run, but we were both tired, and the snow was extremly heavy, so we headed back down. We were going to walk to HoJos, but saw a family of 6 making their way AROUND the Little Headwall. Well, if a FAMILY can do it, so could we, right? Right? Well, we did it, but I highly doubt that we actually saved any energy by "sking" the route we did versus walking the .7 to the start of Sherby.
Finally, it was time for the Sherbourne Trail, which was a ton of fun. Because the snow was so slow, we could really just lean back and enjoy the trip down. Converage was sketchy, as it usually is, but we had to walk less than a mile from where the trail was closed. I am sure by tomorrow, most if not all of this trail will be closed.
Anyway, it was another great day at Tucks, with fantastic weather and very few people.
http://gallery.backcountry.net/chomp-tucks06 (mine)
http://home.comcast.net/~uchuskies/2006.htm (Matt's)
My buddy Matt and I started off from Pinkham about 9:00 AM with full downhill equiptment. The trail for the firt half mile or so was complety bare, with patches of snow and ice starting sometime after that. It was a very warm day (45 degrees to start) and most of the snow was soft, making for good footing. We pushed to HoJo's where we took our first break and enjoyed the views and the warm weather. It was shorts and t-shirts at this point.
Having been up here last year during the Son of Inferno race, it was a very different atmosphere. It was Wednesday, and there were about 6 people at HoJo's - we had a picnic table all to ourselves. The hike from there to the base of the bowl was pleasant, and we could see that the Little Headwall was completly exposed. In the bowl, we could see about 20-30 people - virtually empty - and while Lunch Rocks looked so close, it was a HUGE effort to get there. The snow was rotting quickly, and footing was extremly soft. Add the 50 lbs of gear that I was carrying on my back, and I was struggling just to find solid footsteps.
After a snack break at the rocks, Matt and I suited up and began our climb up the boot ladder next to the Lip. The temperature at this point was in the 60 range, so the snow was very soft. We climbed, and climbed... above the headwall, past the Lion's Head Trail and into the Upper Snowfields. We took another break to catch out breathe and enjoy the fine views. The snow was like cold mashed potatoes, but we enjoyed the ride down to the top of the ravine.
From there, it was a scary trip over The Lip and into the Bowl. Sure, the Lip is "beginner extreme" according to Time for Tuckermans, but it is plenty extreme enough for Matt and I. Coverage on The Lip was excellent, and while there were some mogules that I was worried about, the snow was so soft that they just disingrated when my skis carved into them.
I thought about taking another run, but we were both tired, and the snow was extremly heavy, so we headed back down. We were going to walk to HoJos, but saw a family of 6 making their way AROUND the Little Headwall. Well, if a FAMILY can do it, so could we, right? Right? Well, we did it, but I highly doubt that we actually saved any energy by "sking" the route we did versus walking the .7 to the start of Sherby.
Finally, it was time for the Sherbourne Trail, which was a ton of fun. Because the snow was so slow, we could really just lean back and enjoy the trip down. Converage was sketchy, as it usually is, but we had to walk less than a mile from where the trail was closed. I am sure by tomorrow, most if not all of this trail will be closed.
Anyway, it was another great day at Tucks, with fantastic weather and very few people.
