A Cold Sun Rises - 1/31/26

Jan 31, 2026

With the snowpack settling a bit after the storm and a clear sky forecasted, we opted to don all the puffy layers and hit the trail bright n' early. There was a slight temperature inversion so the coldest point of the day was in the parking lot and starting out up the trail. I often say in the shop that the coldest place on earth is the Pinkham Notch parking lot and today was a friendly reminder of that.

The snow was cold and crunchy, which made the Sherb a bit grabby heading back down. Once at Hermit Lake, we opted for Hillmans due to ease of access as we did not have a whole ton of time. We skinned up into the runout of the line, encountering some large sastrugi which made travel a little interesting. Shortly thereafter we opted to crampon up and begin the booter as the snow was chalky and supportive.

We continued up and transitioned a little after the top of the Christmas Tree. It was quite chilly up there but once we crested into the sun the shivering began to subside. We found a nice little pocket, slapped skis on, and began our descent.

The snow was a tad firmer than expected so our turns remained cautious until lower down past the sastrugi where we found a nice smooth section to step on the gas. I took a bit of a tumble on the way out as I got caught up in the grabby snow which went from firm to knee deep. At least it was a soft landing.

The Sherb was fun and smooth, with some bumps mixed in to keep you on your toes. Coverage is excellent and water bars are mainly a thing of the past for the time being. The best part of the day was the sunrise - the inversion allowed for a partial undercast which is always a treat. Despite the cold and slightly worse than expected ski conditions up high, it was a beautiful morning on the hill!

Bundle up and get out there!

- Greg