Apr 22

Photo of the Week: The Untracked Golden Corn

After laying undisturbed for a spring day or two, the snow surface will transform in the sun into something especially sweet to ski on – it’s top most layer crisped to perfection, flaking and peeling away with every buttery turn. We’re not claiming to be corn snow connoisseurs, but we do have a taste for the Untracked Golden Corn when it’s out there. It’s been somewhat elusive at times lately, with some colder temps playing out over the past week, but it’s been out there if you know when and where to look for it.

And even when the Golden Corn has been hard to come by, a great variety of spring snow conditions have been at play on more northerly, heavily-loaded and on man/woman-made aspects. Snowline will be retreating steadily at this point from ski area base/trailhead elevations, but for those willing to hike for it, there’s another one to two weeks of nearly top to bottom skiing remaining in many areas…and another couple of weeks of higher elevation snow to play with after that.

So get out there, and ski it while you can…Happy Spring.
-Brian, Emily and Maiana

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Apr 15

Photo of the Week: Thank You Old Man Winter

It was with a touch of sadness and a feeling of deep satisfaction that we said goodbye to Old Man Winter today. From his earliest appearances in mid October, through his grand finale in the higher-elevations over this past weekend, the Old Man put on an exceptionally good show across the Northeast this winter. By noon on Monday, as the warm sun was shedding the higher elevation canopy of its lingering winter coat, it was clear that spring is finally here to stay for a while.
-Brian

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Apr 05

Photo(s) of the Week: Winter’s Last Gasp?

Old Man Winter’s resiliency continued to produce excellent skiing at all elevations this past week. Whether skiing fresh powder in the higher elevations (thanks to 2-12″ of snow falling Mon pm – Weds am), taking shelter from the cold wind and snow squalls, or skiing corn on some of the last remnant pasture lines lower in the valleys (3rd photo), the past week has been a wonderful cap to an all-around excellent season in the Northeast.

We’ll likely see the remaining snowpack in our valleys, as well as the snow on solar aspects, melt away rather quickly in the week ahead. Still, so long as an April heat wave does not take shape, the skiing should remain excellent straight through most of April on the colder aspects at higher elevations throughout the Northeast. This is an especially beautiful time of year in the mountains. Streams and cascades are running with snowmelt, birds are returning and singing again, the air is warm, days are longer and the crowds are light – if not non-existent.

Ski you out there.
-Brian and Emily

Dylan Dipentima makes good use of his day off from work on Thursday.

Noah Ranallo, immersed in a well-earned day of experiential education.

Emily and Lil’ Maiana Snow take a little snack break from skiing corn in our neighbor’s pastures.

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Mar 30

Photo(&Vid) of the Week: Descending Katahdin’s Chimney

It’s not often that the steep, alpine gulley known as the Chimney on Maine’s Mt. Katahdin becomes skiable. Dropping over 1500′ from Katahdin’s Knife Edge Ridge, the remote Chimney is known more as a ice- and rock-strewn alpine climb (Class 4/ NE II) than it is as a ski line. Yet, this past week, a group of four Northeastern skiers and riders sensed that the Chimney might be willing to let them sample its goods – and they were right. Collectively, the group claims to have completed the first documented ski descent of the Chimney in over fifteen years, as well as the first-ever snowboard descent of the line. (We cannot confirm this, nor do we feel it is very important.)

The photo here features the upper two thirds of the Chimney (angling left to right at far left of skier Ian Forgays, in the orange jacket). At the time we captured this photo while skiing around Katahdin several years ago, an unprotected ski descent of the Chimney would have been suicide, due to significant ice and hard, crusty snow conditions on that aspect. Last week, however, as you can see in the video below, conditions were a bit more forgiving. After a short rappel into the top of the line from the Knife Edge, it looks as though the group descended the rest of the line without any additional rappels, while snow conditions improved gradually as they carefully descended.

Congrats to Forrest, Owen, Daniel and Jesse for a great descent!

-Brian

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Mar 23

Photo(s) of the Week: Steep and Deep

Wow. What a week in the mountains of the Northeast! And the snow should continue to fly in the mountains through Sunday morning. Okay, that’s it for now…back to skiing powder. Oh yeah…a small factoid to share: There have been snowflakes in the air for 27 of the last 32 days or nights over AdventureSkier headquarters. What a winter! (Click on thumbnails below to enlarge)
– Brian

Andy Weis threading the needle…

Dylan Dipentima loves the white room…

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