03-17-2009, 08:04 PM
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Toni Matt Club *  |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Franconia, New Hampshire
Posts: 1,253
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Airplane and Ammonoosuc Ravine 2009-03-17
gpetrics and I skinned up the cog railway, skied Airplane in the Great Gulf and returned via Ammonoosuc Ravine. Airplane was almost soft and plenty sporty. Unfortunately, the west wind was hitting the summit and bringing a cold wind into the Great Gulf so the skiing was no-fall. GG is super fat this year and offers many options
Ammonoosuc Ravine was sweet zipper crust down to variable quick and corn. We skied it from the tippy top just under the summit. Lower down, we met up with Lee Ann plus posse mid way down Ammonoosuc for a multimedia frenzy. The day was a good combination of gnar and hero.
gpetrics will post the good photos in due course.
The drop in to Airplane, Great Gulf, March 17, 2009.
gpetrics checking out the snow conditions under cornice the on Airplane, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
gpetrics checking out the snow conditions somewhat lower on Airplane, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
Space Walk, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
gpetrics rounding the upper turn, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
Jump turns mandatory, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
To rip or not to rip, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
Whoa some more ice coming up, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
Pipeline, Activator and Mount Clay snowfields, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
Pipeline, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
Looking pretty fat
Looking at a long front point back out, Great Gulf, March 17 , 2009.
Looking back at Mounts Jefferson and Adams, Mount Washington, March 17 , 2009.
Mount Monroe from Mount Washington, March 17 , 2009.
Monroe Gully basking in the shade
gpetrics rippin' the upper snowfields on Ammonoosuc Ravine, March 17, 2009.
gpetrics enjoying the terrain park on the upper couloir, Ammonoosuc Ravine, March 17, 2009.
gpetrics tearing up the corn on Ammonoosuc Ravine, March 17, 2009.
geptrics cruising below the ice bulge on Ammonoosuc Ravine, March 17, 2009.
Sarah stylin' tele turns on lower Ammonoosuc Ravine, March 17, 2009.
Sarah arrives at the end of the difficulties with Kat in hot pursuit, Ammonoosuc Ravine, March 17, 2009.
Route of Great Gulf and Ammonoosuc Ravine circuit, March 17, 2009.
Vertical profile of Great Gulf and Ammonoosuc Ravine circuit, March 17, 2009.
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Think snow, low winds, and sun! 
Last edited by jumpturn; 03-18-2009 at 02:50 PM.
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03-17-2009, 09:10 PM
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Left Gully Master  |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Golden, CO
Posts: 169
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Nice tour JT. Looks like fun was had by all despite the firm conditions. Thanks for the inspiration to get into the outback!
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Get to where you want to go! 
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03-17-2009, 10:00 PM
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Moderator Toni Matt Club ** |
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: following Diogenes, but the ba$tard threw away the lamp so I'm just stumbling along in the dark!
Posts: 13,755
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Wise to bring a snow checker
Sure looks like a good amount of cover. Sun right on Ammo seems to have a nice effect. Nice tour 
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"Moderate is not the new Low" - Chris Joosen, USFS Lead Snow Ranger.
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03-17-2009, 10:08 PM
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Toni Matt Club * |
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Arlington
Posts: 1,478
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Uh yeah. REPS!!!!!
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"Information is not knowledge
Knowledge is not wisdom
Wisdom is not truth
Truth is not beauty
Beauty is not love
Love is not music
Music is THE BEST."
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03-17-2009, 10:12 PM
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Toni Matt Club |
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: white mountains
Posts: 549
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Very nice,
Quote:
Originally Posted by jumpturn
gpetrics will post the good photos in due course.
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can't wait to see the 'good' pix......
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03-17-2009, 10:28 PM
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Toni Matt Club |
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: da Bronx.
Posts: 1,423
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Yeah, if these are the bad photos...
... reptempted...
Note to self. When some people say "gnar", they mean, "wow, the curduroy is really nice on Rams Head today." When JT says "gnar," he means "gnar."
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03-17-2009, 10:30 PM
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Moderator Toni Matt Club ** |
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: following Diogenes, but the ba$tard threw away the lamp so I'm just stumbling along in the dark!
Posts: 13,755
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yuckster
Yeah, if these are the bad photos...
... reptempted...
Note to self. When some people say "gnar", they mean, "wow, the curduroy is really nice on Rams Head today." When JT says "gnar," he means "gnar."
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What he said!
__________________
"Moderate is not the new Low" - Chris Joosen, USFS Lead Snow Ranger.
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03-17-2009, 11:32 PM
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Official TMC Clubhouse Curator Toni Matt Club * |
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Woodstock, VT
Posts: 668
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Wow, gnar, hot danm! Whatever you want to call it, THAT is what we're all here for. Max photg. Reppages! Oh Crud.... 'you must first spread ze reps around"...pbthpbth!
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Fools run schuss where angels fear to stem.
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03-17-2009, 11:37 PM
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Headwall Master  |
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Castle Valley Utah
Posts: 427
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Awesome JT! Man GG looks sick this year... look at all that snow! Great TR Guys.
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Cliff
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03-17-2009, 11:43 PM
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Toni Matt Club * |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Franconia, New Hampshire
Posts: 1,253
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yuckster
When some people say "gnar", they mean, "wow, the curduroy is really nice on Rams Head today."
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What's the problem? It was mostly edgeable with razor sharp skis with no side cut!  The only exception was the bit on the right of the dog leg from which I tried to take photos of gpetrics skiing the top but had to retreat with a patented no-way no-how back out move....  
Not only that, gpetrics pronounced the conditions much better than his little Friday outing! (listen to mr whippet talking...) What more do you want? 
On the other hand, we agreed that Space Walk looked truly dicey....
__________________
Think snow, low winds, and sun!
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03-18-2009, 08:11 AM
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Moderator Toni Matt Club ** |
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Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: following Diogenes, but the ba$tard threw away the lamp so I'm just stumbling along in the dark!
Posts: 13,755
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understatement, irony, straight humor...
Ayuh! Full service post award for the day
__________________
"Moderate is not the new Low" - Chris Joosen, USFS Lead Snow Ranger.
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03-18-2009, 08:31 AM
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Toni Matt Club |
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Not too far from Pico.
Posts: 735
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jumpturn
On the other hand, we agreed that Space Walk looked truly dicey....
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lol! when thinking about the feasibility of dropping into it, "skiing" wasn't the word that came to mind... i had something more along the lines of "survival" floating through my head
on another note: pics later this morning... running tight on time getting out of the house, and want to make a few more adjustments to the brightnesses...dSLRs are nice, but photos take more work to rip to jpg
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03-18-2009, 08:36 AM
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Toni Matt Club * |
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Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Arlington Massachusetts
Posts: 3,414
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Another lavish TR - Thank you, thank you!
April is going to be sweet from the west side. 
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Work is the curse of the drinking classes.
--Oscar Wilde
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03-18-2009, 09:00 AM
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Toni Matt Club * |
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Gallatin County, MT
Posts: 1,281
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love the TR...that terrain does not look like something you seem much around here. rep given and well deserved. way to bring the stoke.
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03-18-2009, 09:19 AM
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Toni Matt Club |
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Join Date: May 2007
Location: Not too far from Pico.
Posts: 735
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My Photos (and opinions)
I had a great day out with Jumpturn. Definitely more fest and less suffer today than last Friday here http://timefortuckerman.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=11240 .
The snow was pretty firm going up the cog, so we were sure this wasn't going to be a smooth sailing day on soft snow... As JT mentioned, we found almost soft snow in GG. That is a pretty good way to describe it, as there was a few mm thick layer of ice over some nice snow underneath. This punchiness however could be scary if you managed to get a tip to dive underneath. Overall the descent of GG can be described as "variable". The very top pitch (the steepest) was the best (and I might even use the term "great")--the snow felt good, and my skis seemed to be enjoying their job. After it hooks to the skier's left you are forced to ski something which is angled more north, and for next few hundred vertical feet, the skiing was pretty dicey with firm snow, refrozen wet slab debris (yum!), and straight ice. Falling was not an option. The bottom was a bit icier than the top as the cold winds off the summit kept the floor of the GG cold.
The remainder of the day on the west side was well earned, and herotastic.
Jumpturn drops into the abyss! Note the hook to the left above talus down lower.
Jumpturn rounding the corner near the bottom. Note the pitch is still sustained into this fan, yet the skiing route cuts across the fall line above mank and tallus. A fast uncontrolled ride anywhere in this gully will not end well (how do you get those skulls and cross bones JT?)
Some nice pucker factor as Jumpturn tops out over the cornice.
Jumpturn enjoys the view and the conditions on the westside
Jumpturn rediscovers the westside, and realizes the terrain here is surprisingly fun!
Jumpturn getting "his TGR" on
Lee Ann lining up some air.
gpetrics misses the huck but catches Lee Ann landing it over the drop.
Sarah drops into the Ravine proper.
Kat digging that heavy load of safety gear.... which comes from too much patrolling....
Sarah rippin' down to the rock band.
Last edited by gpetrics; 03-18-2009 at 08:11 PM.
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