Originally posted on Alpinezone
Conditions: Sunny bluebird; Cool temps in the 50s; Breezy; Winds at 25-30 mph; Corn snow
Trip Report: As far as I'm concerned, this season is not yet over.
I brought along 2 friends who had never skied Tux before. We had two options: a) hike in and do one to two runs on Left Gully; or b) take the slacker route and drive up the Auto Road to yo-yo the East Snowfields. The prospect of making more turns won out on this gorgeous day and we drove up Otto.
The snow was nicely corning up and there small bumps along the way. No icy patches and the snow was delightfully smooth and soft. The patch of snow we skied on was probably as wide as the length of one and a half basketball courts and had a vert of probably 200-300 yards (I'm lousy at distances so this is probably inaccurate). The initial section of about 150 yardscurves to skiers' left and the final pitch goes on for another 100 yards. It was great game trying to get as many turns in. The bootpack was nicely set with short easy steps. We went for about 6 or 7 runs then called it an afternoon at around 2. On the drive down, we stopped to take photos of the Great Gulf. I could see that there was snow in Airplane at the ridgeline but could not see how far it stretched down. Could be promising but no guarantees. The "Beach" looks good too.
We headed back to Pinkham Notch then went for the second leg of the adventure -- a hike up to Hojo's. At Hojo's, we peaked into the Ravine. Looks like LG and Chute are still skiable. I'm hoping for a decent amount of vert in Sluice in June to stretch out this season one day more. It's been a crummy season, I know, but, from my perspective, it's the season that refuses to end.
Looking down the snowfields:
Mid-run:
Looking up from the bottom of the snowfields:
On the bootpack to the clouds:
Tux regulars up for an afternoon session:
Some snow on Airplane:
The skiable patch of the snowfields as seen from the Tuckerman Ravine Trail:
A view of Tux from HoJo's:
East Snowfields - 5/21/2012
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