55" of snow for April and 12" within the last week. Opening weekend. Employee and guest. A familiar face at the gate and dry pavement on the lower half of the Mount Washington Auto Road. Up at the turn-around Ron was working the crossword puzzles just like Rich Remington used to do. Hike-a-ski on Winter Cut-Off to the bottom of the Sun-Bowl, then continuous snow to its intersection with the Wamsutta Trail and the Auto Road, still snow-packed with open culverts gushing melt-water. A beautiful tour, maybe a 900 vertical feet descent into the Great Gulf from 5500' until the way became too thick with head-high evergreens. Westerly aspect and moderate pitch, mostly under 30 degrees w/ one little roll-over close to 40 degress. Heavy, wet, untracked, no sloughs, crevasses, undermining, terrain traps or falling ice, some pinwheels, trees all leaning from snow load or wind, not necessarily by avalanche. Past couple of days above freezing, deeply warming snowpack, soft corn and deepening toward bottom of the run. Look forward to the powder version of this tour!
Thanks to Ernie and Rick, John Gardiner and Nat, working on a Sunday, keeping the water off the road. Going back: follow the mountain-side ditch edge to 6 mile park where the old tractor road slabs westerly toward to top of the Sunbowl and winter cutoff. Chose to walk out the lower quarter mile of the WCO from the bottom of the Sunbowl; We bypassed the ancient stone rings and shortcut that drops into the hole on lower five mile grade.
Salida: a cold 6.6%, 603, on the lawn at 1,688'.
55" of snow for April and 12" within the last week. Opening weekend. Employee and guest. A familiar face at the gate and dry pavement on the lower half of the Mount Washington Auto Road. Up at the turn-around Ron was working the crossword puzzles just like Rich Remington used to do. Hike-a-ski on Winter Cut-Off to the bottom of the Sun-Bowl, then continuous snow to its intersection with the Wamsutta Trail and the Auto Road, still snow-packed with open culverts gushing melt-water. A beautiful tour, maybe a 900 vertical feet descent into the Great Gulf from 5500' until the way became too thick with head-high evergreens. Westerly aspect and moderate pitch, mostly under 30 degrees w/ one little roll-over close to 40 degress. Heavy, wet, untracked, no sloughs, crevasses, undermining, terrain traps or falling ice, some pinwheels, trees all leaning from snow load or wind, not necessarily by avalanche. Past couple of days above freezing, deeply warming snowpack, soft corn and deepening toward bottom of the run. Look forward to the powder version of this tour!
Thanks to Ernie and Rick, John Gardiner and Nat, working on a Sunday, keeping the water off the road. Going back: follow the mountain-side ditch edge to 6 mile park where the old tractor road slabs westerly toward to top of the Sunbowl and winter cutoff. Chose to walk out the lower quarter mile of the WCO from the bottom of the Sunbowl; We bypassed the ancient stone rings and shortcut that drops into the hole on lower five mile grade.
Salida: a cold 6.6%, 603, on the lawn at 1,688'.
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