March 31, 2010
Mt. Washington is ultimate spring adventure
by Tony Chamberlain/
Skiing Mt. Washington in the spring is an exhilarating experience. (photo: Tony Chamberlain)
I’ve never tried to figure out how many hundreds of days I’ve spent on skis, but I remember vividly only the half dozen or so best. Among them are two days in mid-spring on Mt. Washington.
I’ve spent many more than two days on the highest peak in the Northeast. Like the two days in a row we packed our skis in backpacks, boots draped around our necks for the trek up the fire trail to Hojos – thence to begin the real climb. Only those two days we found fog so thick in Tuckerman Ravine that there was no chance of skiing it.
But the other side – those days of sheer beauty and perfect snow – made for truly unforgettable skiing of the sort that is fitting for something known as skiing’s spring ritual.
A few caveats. If you’ve never been to Mt. Washingtonto ski or ride the snow, put everything you know about ski areas out of your mind. This isn’t one. It’s pure back country. There are no lifts, no grooming, no ski patrol to mark unseen hazards such as exposed rock or crevasses, no safeguards for the falling chunks of snow and ice.
The ski slopes are not easy to reach. They require packing in with climbing involved. Getting to the skiable snow is extremely time-consuming.
The weather on Washington is notorious and changeable. In fact the logo at the weather observation station on top is “Home of the World’s Worst Weather.” And they mean it. You might get out of your car down at the parking lot in Pinkham Notch wearing shorts and a T-shirt. By the time you come out of the tree cover into the cirque you can experience a snowy gale, whiteouts, fog, and worse.
So, the best rule for skiing Washingtonfor the first time is to go with a veteran, one or more people who have done it before. And follow the old Boy Scout motto: Be Prepared – for anything and everything.
Do check with the forest service before heading up. While the lodge in Pinkham Notch has weather postings, I always like talking with rangers who sometimes in a remembered anecdote can fill in the picture for what conditions are up the mountain.
In all cases, you’ll want to have the very latest avalanche report from the Forest Service. Along with the weather, this is posted daily.
Finally, if there’s any question about weather, your health or ability to go on, if you feel cold or wet, don’t let anyone goad you into continuing. It’s time to turn back.
But on that rare spring day when the weather is sunny and undisturbed, Washington feels like what it is – the top of the world, 6,288 feet above sea level.
You’ll never find ego snow on Washington, though there is some very manageable skiing for the intermediate. You needn’t climb the famous headwall, but use the slope around it, such as Hillman’s Highway.
From the deck, you can also ski partway down the Sherburne Highwaybefore snow gives way to mud and rocks. Most skiers get about two hikes up to the height they want, two descents, then if it’s sunny, a nice roasting on the sun deck.
On the right day, Mt. Washington is New England spring skiing at its ultimate best.
