It was 40 degrees at 7:30-8AM in the Pinkham parking lot, with high winds under a clear sky. <BR> <BR>This week's new snow had actually stuck to the Sherburne Trail. The bottom of the trail wasn't skiable. I hiked up the Tuckerman Ravine trail to the corner where the Boote Spur Trail branches off and crosses the Sherburne; it was patchy there. At the top of the next switchback (about 500' above the parking lot), where the next crossover from the hiking trail connects to the Sherburne, it was covered wall-to-wall with 2"-4" of dense snow. I had brought the skins, and skied up the Sherburne from there. A few waterbars were sketchy down here, but the base depth increased with elevation, and an inch or two of powder was blowing around and sticking on top in spots. <BR> <BR>There had been one or more avalanches Wednesday, and three people had close calls. I saw this reported on WMUR-TV from Manchester, and a later broadcast included USFS Snow Ranger Chris Joosen warning that this weekend could be very dangerous. The USFS avalanche bulletin on the Obs website told the same story. The word must have got out, and there was a smaller crowd than I expected. This morning the avalanche conditions posted were Considerable on the Headwall and Right Gully; Moderate on the Chute, Left Gully, and Hillmans; the Little Headwall and Sherburne Trail were marked Closed. The USFS and MWVSP were out in full force at Hojos, intercepting anyone heading up to the Bowl to make sure they understood conditions, dissuading them if possible. Many headed for Hillmans instead of the Bowl. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1631.jpg" ALT="Brad Ray & MWVSP at Hojos"> <BR> <BR>The avalanche debris from this week's slide lay in floor of the ravine, crowned with a piece of ice the size of a refrigerator. These served as one more reminder of the Snow Ranger's warnings. With all due respect to the USFS & MWVSP, I think the avalanche danger was overstated. In spite of the high winds, the rocks were warming up in the sun, and falling ice was a possible hazard. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1632.jpg" ALT="The Bowl"> <BR> <BR>The primary surface was 8"-10" of heavy, wet new snow, that had frozen enough on top to support your weight (on skis) some of the time. This was softening up in the sun as the morning progressed, but that was not necessarily an improvement. I took a couple cautious runs under the Chute and Lip, where a few lines of wind-blown powder had stuck. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1633.jpg" ALT="The Chute"> <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1634.jpg" ALT="The Lip"> <BR> <BR>The more adventurous began hiking straight up the Center wall, and coming down a couple lines there, as well as the Chute. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1635.jpg" ALT="Center Wall"> <BR> <BR>Then I headed up Left Gully around noon, hoping it had softened up. The winds were blasting right down the gully, gusting up to 30 or 40MPH, and had scoured out almost all the new powder. About 300' below the top, at 5200', several of us decided to bail out and ski down. The snow was not improving, and neither were the winds. There was a half-dozen good turns to be had in two places where wind-pack powder had stuck; the rest was all crud. It may have improved later after a few dozen more skiers and riders had tracked it up. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1636.jpg" ALT="Left Gully"> <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/1637.jpg" ALT="Left Gully2"> <BR> <BR>After hiking down past the Connection Cache, it was possible, though dangerous, to ski across the river above the Little Headwall, and make it down to the Lower Snowfields and Sherburne Trail. The Sherburne was marked closed, but actually had good cover halfway down. It got very thin below 3000', and I quit where I had started skinning up in the morning (~2500'). Five hours of sun had melted most of the cover below that point. I know the USFS is trying to prevent both trail erosion and injuries, but the top half of the Sherburne really should have been open. I didn't even see a rock until I was below 3400'.
