TR: Extremely Extreme: July Skiing on Mt. Washington

**backcountryben** · 07-09-2008, 10:30 AM

July 7, 2008. Mt. Washington, NH, USA, North America, Planet Earth
After waiting for weeks for the proper weather window, samthaman, allenataylor, my girlfriend, and I finally saw our chance. With highs reaching into the 80s (at least 5-10 degrees colder with windchill though!) and sunny skies, the ambitious expedition seemed at least nominally feasible. We left Advance Base Camp in Pinkham Notch with a solidly sub-alpine start of 9:30 (thus maximizing daylight by only waiting 5 hours after sunrise). We decided to go light and fast, alpine style, taking only the bare essentials (climbing gear, ski gear, Tuckerman Headwall ale and LT Doublebag). Conditions were tough as we simul-solo'd the steep (but well-graded), crevasse-free trail. The crux of this segment of the climb was when we took a water break but then had to lift our packs back onto our packs again - not a trivial experience when facing 3-5 feet of exposure!

Finally we arrived at sheer, intimidating wall where we were forced to rope up for what we believe is a first ascent up a route we dubbed "Pinnacle Buttress." (Any similarity to several pitch, well-established 5.8 in Huntington Ravine is completely coincidental). samthaman and allenataylor started up first, while I struggled to avoid succumbing to the environmental hazards (sunlight, a light warm breeze, stubbed toes). Finally I started up:

Parts of the climb were even steeper!

After what seemed like weeks of climbing we topped out. Near the top of the climb we felt a chill in our veins as visibility quickly dropped to less than 100 miles and the cog railway sounded its mournful wail. Nevertheless we stuck with the plan and headed back down Huntington Ravine to pick up ski gear stashed at the base. With the ongoing exposure above 3000 feet, the dreaded "blackfly-bite" became a real issue on any exposed flesh, despite our best efforts to continually check each other.

The trek from Huntington to Tucks was long and very dangerous. Several times we had brushes with death as our ski tips nicked tree branches or our feet slipped on rocks. Yet on we went, and finally found ourselves at the base of one of the biggest snowfields any of us had ever seen. Trembling with the excitement of giddy school girls, we geared up, hiked up, and began to slay. Words can't describe the ecstasy of feeling crystals of ice crystals thrown up by your edges on a slope such as that, giving you top-sheet shots with every turn. For a few (10-15) turns it was truly white-green-and-rock-colored-view room.

(samthaman, allenataylor, and I hiking the glacier)

(Me starting down)

(allenataylor hucking the death-gnar)

(more death-gnar)

(check out the pow)

We were feeling dehydrated after skiing so much vert, so we consumed some refreshing beverages during the long hike out. The descent brought with it its own set of hazards, but we hiked fast and made it back to the car with minimal loss of life or limbs from the expedition.

It's been a good season, with ~130 days for samthaman, ~115 for allenataylor and 85 for myself (I lost). allenataylor has some more pictures that he'll hopefully post...

**samthaman** · 07-09-2008, 10:49 AM

allen had some pictures too:

it was a pretty bro-rific day

that cowbell got placed 3 times !!!!

ben topping out

probably the best "tips" picture TGR has ever seen

"ben let me show you how its done'

second summer in a row that ben's bindings have broken

nothing like a headwall brew to help forget the black fly problem

and thats a season!

**SonnyBoy** · 07-09-2008, 12:07 PM

nice man

**smuggs** · 07-09-2008, 12:58 PM

sicknes!

**allenataylor** · 07-09-2008, 01:12 PM

Thanks to Sam for putting my pictures up for me. Man that was easy. It was a fun and extremely extreme trip as Ben said. I got in a few of my first exposed trad leads. I even managed to get Sam to let me lead the crux pitch which included some thin face climbing, Sam's "favorite" type of climbing. I also have a very important correction to ben's report, we were drinking headwall Alt not headwall Ale. I find all Tuckerman's brews to be a bit too sweet for me but the alt is closer to the bitter varieties that I cherish.

Its been a great season of october to july EC skiing. Thanks to everyone who shared turns with me. I'm still down to knock off aug and sept turns but short of skiing on zamboni snow I don't know how I will do it.

Its been the best season of my life. I want to thank everyone who shared turns with me, there will be many more great ones to come.

So quoting the great theatrical work Half Baked
"fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you're cool, I'm out"

**squirrelmurphy** · 07-09-2008, 01:16 PM

Nice work guys, thats dedication.

**gpcharles** · 07-10-2008, 06:14 AM

sweet... wish i hadn't brought my yapping dog for the fourth... might have been able to have as much fun as this one looked like

**2nd mate** · 07-10-2008, 06:49 AM

my sarcasm meter just exploded in my face, had i not been wearing my safetey glasses as required by my company i may have seriously injured.

Sweet work by all of you in NH. Should have been sporting the TRAM ALE by LT.

**BigDaddy** · 07-10-2008, 06:56 AM

Originally Posted by samthaman

...

and thats a season!

Okay, I think it's time you guys got a job! Nice stoke. Can't wait until next year.

**gpcharles** · 07-10-2008, 07:54 AM

job shmob.... be a student for life in a science without lab work (cough--mathematics---cough) and ski every day

i'm seriously hoping one, two or all of these dudes go onto research level forestry so they can "test the forests" every time it snows (and the sun comes out...and it's cloudy... and it warms up... and it....)

**salida** · 07-10-2008, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by samthaman

Sam, nice pipes

Sweet job fellas, glad you got July in.

Allen if you can snake a patch in the Ravine in early August, you could always result to skiing some frost in September... If that really counts.

**samthaman** · 07-10-2008, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by BigDaddy

Okay, I think it's time you guys got a job! Nice stoke. Can't wait until next year.

yesterday morning it finally hit me that i couldn't lie t myself any more and that that the season was finally really over, so i got a job mowing lawns. with a little luck i'll be able to work part time into the fall, then when i graduate in december i'll be free of all commitments except my skiing addiction.

i'm hoping to best 130 days next year, i've been getting more every year for the last 5, i dont want to stop now.