Photo of the Week: A Great Excuse for a Hike!

While spring gradually gives way to summer and the very last remnants of winter finally melt away, a few lingering strips of snow in the higher reaches of the Whites, Dacks and at several northeastern ski areas are still tempting a handful of skiers. At this point, while the turns are still fun, the skiing is as much a good excuse to go for a warm-season hike, dip your face in a mountain creek, and check out some of the first wild flowers of the season. For …

Photo of the Week: The Dirty Corn

Whether you are finding it on those lingering strips of snow at your favorite ski area, or along the snow-filled edge of an alpine ridge in New Hampshire’s White Mountains or Quebec’s Monts McGerrigle, The Dirty Corn is hard to miss right now. And that’s okay.

For one thing, The Dirty Corn is often a sign of a safe, stable snow pack. It’s been sitting around for a while – collecting any dust, dirt and grit it can gather – and it’s unlikely to go anywhere, no …

Photo(s) of the Week: White Mountain Wanderlust

We’ve been feeling a bit of White Mountain Wanderlust lately, thanks in no small part to an incredible run of pleasant spring days that have produced corn-snow conditions on at least some aspects, daily. Over the last several days, especially, temperatures have been cool enough to allow for some re-freezing of the snow pack nightly, but still warm enough to keep the snow soft underfoot right through the sunset hour. It has also been nice enough for us to get up high along NH’s Presidential Divide with …

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 …

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…

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 …

Photo of the Week: A Great Excuse for a Hike!

While spring gradually gives way to summer and the very last remnants of winter finally melt away, a few lingering strips of snow in the higher reaches of the Whites, Dacks and at several northeastern ski areas are still tempting a handful of skiers. At this point, while the turns are still fun, the skiing is as much a good excuse to go for a warm-season hike, dip your face in a mountain creek, and check out some of the first wild flowers of the season. For …

Photo of the Week: The Dirty Corn

Whether you are finding it on those lingering strips of snow at your favorite ski area, or along the snow-filled edge of an alpine ridge in New Hampshire’s White Mountains or Quebec’s Monts McGerrigle, The Dirty Corn is hard to miss right now. And that’s okay.

For one thing, The Dirty Corn is often a sign of a safe, stable snow pack. It’s been sitting around for a while – collecting any dust, dirt and grit it can gather – and it’s unlikely to go anywhere, no …

Photo(s) of the Week: White Mountain Wanderlust

We’ve been feeling a bit of White Mountain Wanderlust lately, thanks in no small part to an incredible run of pleasant spring days that have produced corn-snow conditions on at least some aspects, daily. Over the last several days, especially, temperatures have been cool enough to allow for some re-freezing of the snow pack nightly, but still warm enough to keep the snow soft underfoot right through the sunset hour. It has also been nice enough for us to get up high along NH’s Presidential Divide with …

Photo of the Week: A Great Excuse for a Hike!

While spring gradually gives way to summer and the very last remnants of winter finally melt away, a few lingering strips of snow in the higher reaches of the Whites, Dacks and at several northeastern ski areas are still tempting a handful of skiers. At this point, while the turns are still fun, the skiing is as much a good excuse to go for a warm-season hike, dip your face in a mountain creek, and check out some of the first wild flowers of the season. For …

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 …

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 …

Photo(s) of the Week: White Mountain Wanderlust

We’ve been feeling a bit of White Mountain Wanderlust lately, thanks in no small part to an incredible run of pleasant spring days that have produced corn-snow conditions on at least some aspects, daily. Over the last several days, especially, temperatures have been cool enough to allow for some re-freezing of the snow pack nightly, but still warm enough to keep the snow soft underfoot right through the sunset hour. It has also been nice enough for us to get up high along NH’s Presidential Divide with …

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 …

Photo(s) of the Week: A Taste of Spring in the Alpine

Although it was gusting to 80mph atop Mt. Washington, NH on Friday, and temps were still in the teens across the north country at sunrise today (Saturday), Old Man Winter has handed the reins to his good friend Spring for the weekend – even in the alpine regions of the Northeast. Most solar aspects experienced warm sunshine today, which left countless skiers with goggle tans, baked the recent fresh snow layers and helped to trigger at least a few small avalanches in the high country before the …