TR: Tuckerbrook 2004-02-16

[M@]

Just got this email, from SkiLAs's cell phone I presume:

Sitting in Cannon pub. BG & BG & I skied Tuckerbrook. IT ROCKED. Totally gnarly dude.

Ski Las

M@

[kmrnskier]

Oh yes, me too. I'm sensing that he was chuckling just a tad while emailing this while we're WORKING!!!! :mad:

[Skilasnow]

NO :( . I thought it better for you to live vicariously through another than be left at work with no sense whatsoever of what was happening in the NH backcountry :p . Y'all knew we were heading up there and I could sense you were just waiting for some news :) .

To be correct, the trail we were heading to was indeed, unbeknownst to us, the famous Tuckerbrook. We figured this out when we went to drop off the truck, on loan to us by Plummet, who was unable to join us due to a re-aggravated sprained ankle :(.

After BG begged to take the morning off from teaching we did a few warm up runs then headed over to Mittersill Summit at 3600'. A quick photo op (BG will have them later) we started our decent to the entrance to Tuckerbrook about a 1/4 of the way to Mittersill ski area. The entrance was narrow, steep and seriously bumped. Ski & Ride was a little concerned, she was on new skis that seemed a little chattery and was not overly confident in the bumps.

I headed in and was challenged to stay on my feet and on the trail. It widened and steepened a little ways down and started to look pretty gnarly. Ski & Ride, fearfull of injury before the States Hockey Championships decided to bail and head back up. A good decision as it only got gnarlier.

The snow was hard but immensely edgeable with plenty of soft spots. After continuing with the steep and bumpy for about 700 vertical with tight switchbacks, big bumps, and gnarly burms we encountered a long, not too steep, very narrow, two tiered obstacle course of rocks, bumps and logs followed by a brief flat traverse. This brought us to about 2700'. 900 down, many more to go.

Suddenly we were afforded one of the most beatiful sights, full grown trees casting dappled shadows upon the snow covered trail. It widened quite a bit became less steep with smaller bumps, less challenging but absolutely fantasticly gorgeous. Miles and miles we went decending lightly on the soft hardpack (I think y'all know what I mean) Eventually it levelled off and occasionly went a little up hill, but with a little speed and minimal skating these little burms were but a mild annoyance to the poleless Bladegirl.

Finally at about 1250' nearly 2500 vertical drop, we encountered the dead end of a dirt road. Skiers before us had carve a nice track along the snow bank next to the road and we cruised the last 150' of vertical to our awaiting chariot.

Just before we reached the car Bladegirl spotted a horse who sidled in her direction as if to say, "nice ride, huh?"

Total, nearly 2600 vertical, and about 3.5 miles, maybe more
:cooldog:

[el-bagr]

Sounds like a great trip. T'brook is one of my favorites off that side over there, especially when you have thought ahead and have a chariot (or, apparently, know how to ride bareback).

[ski&ride]

I headed in and was challenged to stay on my feet and on the trail. It widened and steepened a little ways down and started to look pretty gnarly. Ski & Ride, fearfull of injury before the States Hockey Championships decided to bail and head back up. A good decision as it only got gnarlier.

Yeah, unfortunately the start of the Tuckerbrook trail proved to be above my abilities, so I made the decision to hike back up & over to Cannon, instead of putting myself & the others at risk. :unhappyhiker: I would only slow them down. I'll need to work my way up, hopefully by training at Guidos, & maybe taking a bump clinic after hockey is over, or next season. Bladegirl mentioned using short skis to practice getting used to big moguls. Someday I WILL make it down there! :skifemcool: Otherwise, it was a GREAT day at :cannon: ! :skiplow:

ski&ride

[BladeGirl]

....
After BG begged to take the morning off from teaching we did a few warm up runs then headed over to Mittersill Summit at 3600'. A quick photo op (BG will have them later) we started our decent to the entrance to Tuckerbrook about a 1/4 of the way to Mittersill ski area. The entrance was narrow, steep and seriously bumped.
....
I headed in and was challenged to stay on my feet and on the trail. It widened and steepened a little ways down and started to look pretty gnarly. Ski & Ride, fearfull of injury before the States Hockey Championships decided to bail and head back up. A good decision as it only got gnarlier.
....
Suddenly we were afforded one of the most beatiful sights, full grown trees casting dappled shadows upon the snow covered trail.


So there were three of us who took the trail, the other BG being Bladeguy, my hubby. I must say, in the "13 turns" upper part I was kind of glad knowing that there was someone else (Ski & Ride) on the mountain with a radio we could call in case there was trouble. I will download pix tonight, but I doubt they will show either how gnarly the 13 turns is, or how beautiful the middle part is, but we'll see. Skilas had several binding releases at the top part, and I'm sure I would have as well in my 170s. Steep, narrow, winding and moguly, with the fall line often at odds with the trail direction it was quite challenging. Can't wait to do it again!

:skiplow:
-BG

[M@]

Steep, narrow, winding and moguly, with the fall line often at odds with the trail direction it was quite challenging. Can't wait to do it again!
Nice! Love those kinda descriptions. "Hard - steep - difficult - miserable and channalenging" followed by "Can't wait to do it again"

M@

[RR]

2600?

Nope, methinks ye hast forgotten the descent from Cannon, total vert way over 3000! Now if I can get the Cannon kids to hold still long enough we might hava a go at something longer!

It may have to wait for next year if ya'll want to go with me...but there are a few folks in the know about a couple of lines starting SW of the summit and running over thattawy.

[Skilasnow]

2600?

Nope, methinks ye hast forgotten the descent from Cannon, total vert way over 3000! .

True! But then we had to climb a little. I was counting from the Mittersill summit where we put our skis back on

[Skilasnow]

Nice! Love those kinda descriptions. "Hard - steep - difficult - miserable and channalenging" followed by "Can't wait to do it again"

M@

Miserable??? :confused: :confused:

I NEVER said miserable :) :skierpetrified:

[RR]

True! But then we had to climb a little. I was counting from the Mittersill summit where we put our skis back on

Naturally. But ignoring the 400+ feet higher elevation on the Upper Taft can really ruin your day when the bumps are all iced over.... ;)

I forgot to mention it before, but that was a great TR!

[M@]

Miserable??? :confused: :confused:

I NEVER said miserable :) :skierpetrified:

I was saying I like hearing people describes things in the apparent negative only to then say they want to do it again.

M@

[BladeGirl]

I was saying I like hearing people describes things in the apparent negative only to then say they want to do it again.

M@

Hey Skilas, maybe M@ was referring to my post, not yours? Anyhoo, On my list of things to do differently next time is:
1) bring poles for the flat stuff, and
2) bring a carrot for the horsie!

-BG

[NH_tele]

Tuckerbrook is one of my favorite descents. I almost did it last Saturday, but I wanted to get 2 runs in, and I didn't get to the Mittersul parking lot until 1:00 pm, so I figured I didn't have enough time.

I've only skied it and had a car waiting once, but I can definitely attest to how long & how much vertical gain there is from my LONG skins back up... it takes quite a while, and takes much more out of you than the normal Mittersul skin, which is relatively short...

Hope to ski with everyone sometime! I'll be up at Tripyramid 90% on saturday... ready for some :skierscared:

[BladeGirl]

Photos!

This is my first time trying to post photos since the change and I couldn't get it to show the photos in the post. This is the link to all of them, but I was only going to post these: 1,2,3,6,9

http://www.green-mail.org/13turns/

-BG

http://www.green-mail.org/13turns/pics/imgp0237.jpg

http://www.green-mail.org/13turns/pics/imgp0238.jpg

http://www.green-mail.org/13turns/pics/imgp0239.jpg

http://www.green-mail.org/13turns/pics/imgp0241.jpg

http://www.green-mail.org/13turns/pics/imgp0242.jpg

http://www.green-mail.org/13turns/pics/imgp0245.jpg

-BG

[M@]

Holy freaking blue bird batman. That's georgous. Just lovely.

M@

[Skilasnow]

Thanks for the pix BG. The two that look up and down respectively give a decent idea of the steepness but not quite. The flatter one of me and Bladeguy... that scenery there lasts for miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles, maybe not that long but it sure felt like it :skiplow:

[RR]

Oh yeah :D :D :D :D

[skicdave]

Nice shots! Is that the area that was open way back on the right at Cannon?

[BladeGirl]

Nice shots! Is that the area that was open way back on the right at Cannon?

No. The area you are thinking of is Mittersill. This is actually on the back side of that mountain. I do not believe it was ever an "official" ski trail. It seems to combine a hacked out steep gnarly top (13 turns), leading to a hiking trail (Tuckerbrook), leading to a cross-country trail, and ending up on a snow bank running along side a dirt road.

-BG

[RR]

Au contraire...The Tuckerbrook Trail was always a ski trail. But it was cut and is maintained by a ski club not a ski area. I love New England! :happyhiker: :happydog: :cooldog:

I'm sorry I don't have the full beta on that. It's the same deal as the old Underhill Trail on Mt Mansefield in VT and the Snapper and Gorge Brook Trails on Moosilauke in NH. A motivated club just goes and cuts the trails! In all three locations the clubs had permission of the owners...sometimes the owners were themselves. There are (of course) other trails cut by the willing but clandestine few :D

[Skilasnow]

The Tuckerbrook Trail was always a ski trail.

I wondered about that... it seemed awfully wide to be just a hiking trail.