blacknblue
Active member
Kearsarge Slide, 2-Apr-2008
Ever since we hiked Mount Flume a week or so ago, avk4316 has been on me to climb the Kearsarge Slide with him. I’d never heard of it, but he showed me a picture and it looked wicked awesome. If you know me at all, you know how I love slides! Since I hadn’t been on a slide since last fall, I was totally game for the Kearsarge Slide, which is on the east-northeast side of the mountain, up from Wilmot. avk4316 is the Kearsarge guru, so I followed his lead.
After the threat of high winds and treacherous stream crossings derailed our plans for South Twin, I bounced down Route 4A to our meeting spot—Wilmot Flat Baptist Church. I’d never heard of Flat Baptists before, but I was so stoked about the Kearsarge Slide that I forgot all about it. We didn’t even bother with snowshoes, leaving them in the car, since the snow was quite hard and the forecast was to remain in the 30s in the valley.
I’ll get to the Slide in a minute, but first you’ll want to hear about the great views from the top and the icy ledges and orange surveyors’ tape that we removed in a number of places. Or maybe you’ll want to hear about the fierce winds up there and the how the snow depth, while still impressive, is down significantly from a week ago.
But let me tell you about the Slide. I approached it with a bit of trepidation, I admit. I actually postholed a few times on the approach, which didn’t help my nerves. The heights and pitch of it is fairly daunting. Fortunately, I found good places for handholds, although my crampons felt like they would slip at any minute. I took each step carefully while avk4316 watched, I think secretly amused at watching a Kearsearge Slide newbie. “Come on!” he yelled, camera in hand, “I’ve seen kids on this go faster than you!” True, perhaps, but I take things slow, especially in wintertime conditions. By the time I got to the top, the wind was blowing right in my face, which made it seem even higher. There’s nothing quite like the top of a slide; the sense of accomplishment is significant, and the world seems like a different place from that vantagepoint. Besides, then you get to go down!
I eased very carefully onto my butt, making sure not to trip on my crampons. I looked down and saw a lot of ice, especially at the bottom. It wasn’t that far to the car, but I still would rather not break my ankle with an abrupt landing. I really wasn’t sure how much speed I would gain on the slide, or how much I would have to self-arrest. I took a few deep breaths, gave avk4316 a thumbs-up, and let go! Nothing. Oops—my backpack was stuck on a weird-looking branch above me. A few more shifts of weight and I tried again. Woohoo! I sped down the slide at a safe and enjoyable speed. I threw my hands in the air and whooped and hollered while avk4316 took photos. I hit the bottom and rolled over a bit, but nothing serious. It was splendid fun!
Oh man, I’m telling you. If you’re ever in the Kearsarge area and get the chance, definitely check out the Kearsarge Slide. I’m sure avk4316 would love to guide you; it’s one of his favorites, and probably in my top five at this point. Wintertime makes it even better.
You just have to check out the sweet pictures of this baby here. In fact, you'll probably want to re-read this post after checking out these sweet pics.
Ever since we hiked Mount Flume a week or so ago, avk4316 has been on me to climb the Kearsarge Slide with him. I’d never heard of it, but he showed me a picture and it looked wicked awesome. If you know me at all, you know how I love slides! Since I hadn’t been on a slide since last fall, I was totally game for the Kearsarge Slide, which is on the east-northeast side of the mountain, up from Wilmot. avk4316 is the Kearsarge guru, so I followed his lead.
After the threat of high winds and treacherous stream crossings derailed our plans for South Twin, I bounced down Route 4A to our meeting spot—Wilmot Flat Baptist Church. I’d never heard of Flat Baptists before, but I was so stoked about the Kearsarge Slide that I forgot all about it. We didn’t even bother with snowshoes, leaving them in the car, since the snow was quite hard and the forecast was to remain in the 30s in the valley.
I’ll get to the Slide in a minute, but first you’ll want to hear about the great views from the top and the icy ledges and orange surveyors’ tape that we removed in a number of places. Or maybe you’ll want to hear about the fierce winds up there and the how the snow depth, while still impressive, is down significantly from a week ago.
But let me tell you about the Slide. I approached it with a bit of trepidation, I admit. I actually postholed a few times on the approach, which didn’t help my nerves. The heights and pitch of it is fairly daunting. Fortunately, I found good places for handholds, although my crampons felt like they would slip at any minute. I took each step carefully while avk4316 watched, I think secretly amused at watching a Kearsearge Slide newbie. “Come on!” he yelled, camera in hand, “I’ve seen kids on this go faster than you!” True, perhaps, but I take things slow, especially in wintertime conditions. By the time I got to the top, the wind was blowing right in my face, which made it seem even higher. There’s nothing quite like the top of a slide; the sense of accomplishment is significant, and the world seems like a different place from that vantagepoint. Besides, then you get to go down!
I eased very carefully onto my butt, making sure not to trip on my crampons. I looked down and saw a lot of ice, especially at the bottom. It wasn’t that far to the car, but I still would rather not break my ankle with an abrupt landing. I really wasn’t sure how much speed I would gain on the slide, or how much I would have to self-arrest. I took a few deep breaths, gave avk4316 a thumbs-up, and let go! Nothing. Oops—my backpack was stuck on a weird-looking branch above me. A few more shifts of weight and I tried again. Woohoo! I sped down the slide at a safe and enjoyable speed. I threw my hands in the air and whooped and hollered while avk4316 took photos. I hit the bottom and rolled over a bit, but nothing serious. It was splendid fun!
Oh man, I’m telling you. If you’re ever in the Kearsarge area and get the chance, definitely check out the Kearsarge Slide. I’m sure avk4316 would love to guide you; it’s one of his favorites, and probably in my top five at this point. Wintertime makes it even better.
You just have to check out the sweet pictures of this baby here. In fact, you'll probably want to re-read this post after checking out these sweet pics.
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