North Tripyramid slide

I’m looking to do the Tripyramids before the end of winter and was wondering if most people avoid the north slide in winter and go up Scaur Ridge or Pine Bend Brook, or is the north slide doable? I’ve done it three times in summer, and find it enjoyable to do.

Given that it is a long drive for me (from the north), I have traditionally done those peaks via Pine Bend brook trail or Sabathday Brook trail from the Kanc. They are both good routes but the river crossings on the brook trail and the reduced sunlight on the brook trail makes Pine Bend my preferred route. The times I have looked down the slide in winter, it sure looked treacherous to me but on a low snow year after a thaw it probably is entirely doable.

It's doable but it can be quite scary - one of those "if you have to ask you might want to think twice" situations: yes indeed, most people avoid it. Crampons required, ice axe (maybe a pair of real ice tools) very highly recommended, avy risk is not out of the question.
I went up with Mountaingirl one December and it took us three hours (just the slide itself - about half a mile).

trip report

I wouldn't go up there in winter without an axe and some real avalanche knowledge. It does slide, and if people were on it more often you'd hear about.

Consider the N Slide a technical snow/ice climb which people do for fun not as a good route to Tripyramid

S Slide is much easier, a winter route I've done is up S Slide down Scaur Ridge

Another winter route that Guy Waterman & I have done (at different times) is to bushwhack to the col between N & M from the W

I agree that PBB is the easiest but not trivial particularly if brooks are open

N Tri slide is a fine ski run, when the snow is stable, say later in the winter or early spring.

el-bagr? el-bagr? You out there? Well, until he gets here, I'll take the liberty of posting a PM he sent me a couple years ago. He sent me this in response to my request for beta on avy areas along the Kanc:

I did some skiing on the Osceola and Scar Ridge slides a while back. The Osceola slides are much bigger, but by and large didn't hold much snow -- skiing was pretty marginal. Scar Ridge slides are harder to reach and generally smaller (but I found some short sweet ski routes). Osceola E Peak has that one slide heading toward Greeley Ponds -- that one had more snow, definitely over 6' near the bottom. Fairly accessible from the Kanc for you and the dogs. I have noted sluffs at the base of E Peak slide, though not necessarily slab avalanche debris.

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sardog1 said:

el-bagr? el-bagr?

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Seems to me he posted a trip report of an attempt to ski the slide. (IIRC the snow was so deep they were unable to ascend the entire slide.)

Here is a past thread on the topic of climbing the slide: http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4800

Doug

I was on Scaur Ridge Trail today (from Waterville Valley side) and it was broken out....

sardog1 said:

el-bagr? el-bagr? You out there? Well, until he gets here, I'll take the liberty of posting a PM he sent me a couple years ago. He sent me this in response to my request for beta on avy areas along the Kanc:

Click to expand...

I'm here!

Good memory, sardog and Doug! Back in 2005 we discussed avalanche danger on the south slide, among other things.

Not sure if I ever wrote up a proper trip report of skiing on the slide ... I think my colleague RR may have a while back. Needless to say, under the right conditions, it's a viable route -- but if you're just looking for a walkup route, I'd avoid the north slide in winter. Scaur Ridge and/or Pine Bend makes more sense. Though I haven't always heeded my own advice, I wouldn't try to ascend or descend either (any?) slide in winter conditions without a thorough understanding of management of avalanche (and fall) risk.