Moosilaukee Ski Tour

Sunday, April 3, 2011

For as long as I can remember, a day in the mountains is a good day, no matter the season, the location, or the activity.  It's fitting to kickoff this blog with an adventure with a great friend in the mountains of New Hampshire, where we began hiking and skiing together some 20 years ago.

The night before our ski tour, Ben and I met up at the soon-to-be-closed Fratello's restaurant in Lincoln where we enjoyed some dinner- a slab of Lasagna as big as a baseball glove for me- and we watched the Final Four.  After a decent sleep at a cut-rate motel, we drove up the frost-heaved NH118 to the start of the access road leading to the Dartmouth Outing Club's Ravine Lodge, which is closed in winter.  After a late season snowstorm on Friday, the sun was out and it promised to be a bluebird day with temperatures expected to reach the 40s.

Starting from the gate on the access road we put our skins on our skis and started up the grade toward the lodge.  Ben uses an alpine skiing setup with a BCA trekker binding while I use telemark skis.  The teles are lighter and more maneuverable for the ascent, but my tele skiing proficiency usually requires a fair amount of snow plowing while descending these narrow New England trails.


Breaking above treeline with distant Franconia Ridge & the Presidentials

Our plan for the day is a 10.4 mile loop including the ski in/out to the lodge and an ascent up the Gorge Brook Trail to Mt. Moosilaukee's summit, followed by a descent along the Carriage Road, past the South Peak, down to the Snapper Trail, and back to the lodge.  Reading up on the tour in the AMC's guidebook beforehand one is struck by the incredible skiing history in this place, dating back to the 1930s with the likes of Otto Schniebs, and there is a respect that one develops for these early

Ben skins into the alpine

pioneers with their primative gear and clothing who were so passionate about the sport of skiing.

The ski in to the lodge along the summer access road is easy and after a descent from the road to the front of the main lodge we're in the midst of DOC's impressive compound including a handful of bunkhouses.  The view includes the snow-plastered ridge line of Moosilaukee high above. Crossing the stream at the foot of the hill, the wooden bridge is sporting a 12" wide x 15" deep monorail of snow that has recessed from the edge of the deck.  After gingerly crossing we're ascending in a gorgeous hardwood forest.

A fresh layer of snow gives the appearance of mid-winter, but the warming temperatures feel anything like mid-winter.  After passing the Gorge Brook-Snapper Trail junction the snow is starting to stick to our skins.  It starts as just a minor nuisance, with a small area of snow collecting under the ski at the binding, but it quickly turns into a major issue.  The skins are holding the sticky snow along their entire length and adding significant weight to our skis.  What's worse, the skis no longer glide and we're reduced to taking steps with our skis as if they were snowshoes.  Should have brought the glop stopper skin wax...  In spite of it, the scenery is still nice as the trail winds its way along the brook.  There is probably still 4-5 feet of snow overlying the brook, and the occasional breaks in the snow to the stream bed below look like crevasses.

Mt. Moosilaukee summit sign

Ready to point 'em and ski!

Soon enough we pass the 'last water' sign and the snow is less sticky in the shade as we begin a steady climb toward treeline.  Breaking above treeline there are fantastic views toward Franconia Notch and to the Presidential Range beyond.  At a protected spot we put on shells for the wind ahead.  Moosilaukee has a gently sloping summit and the area above treeline reveals a nice snowfield for skiing which is exposed to the wind.  The author of the guidebook writes about capturing a 'hero' shot in this place where it is possible to link a few turns with the background scenery of nearby mountains, but it's windy enough that we want to keep moving.

Ben on upper Carriage Trail on descent



Mike demonstrates a static tele turn

Crouching just below the summit we take off our skins and prepare for the ski down-- this is what we came for.  After a few quick turns on the upper mountain we're traversing toward the South Peak on the Carriage Road, which is an average width New England hiking trail.  Once we're past the Glencliff Trail junction the trail is more protected from the wind and it quickly becomes a wider trail, perhaps 15' wide, where we can link turns in the soft spring snow.  There are a few people coming up the trail, including skiers and sledders, but it's surprising that there aren't more people out on such a day.  It always seems to me that most people hang it up after winter ends on the calendar.


We stop along the trail for lunch, including boules for each of us and some seriously sharp cheddar.  This is my hero shot for the day as I eat the entire loaf of bread and chase it with some cookies.  After lunch we continue skiing down the Carriage Road, finding occasional patches of hard snow in the shadows.

The Snapper Trail diverges left and it is a descending traverse back to Gorge Brook.  The trail is fairly narrow and I find my legs burning from the almost constant snow-plowing I use to check my speed.  Every few minutes I catch up to Ben who patiently waits for me before continuing on.  After a stream crossing that requires some careful side-stepping, the trail makes a few sweeping turns, giving it the feel of a luge track as it follows the stream bed before intersecting with the Gorge Brook Trail.  The descent is fast and we're back outside the Lodge in no time, enjoying a well-deserved Abita in the afternoon sun.  After an easy 1.6 mile glide down the access road, we're back to the cars.  Another great day in the mountains!

Our SPOT log for the day