Chute Apron - 11/13/25

By Matt Hart

I have a friend in Colorado, a dedicated backcountry skier, who refuses to backcountry ski before January 1st. I get it. Early-season snow is thin, your legs are out of shape, and the risk—of injury or unenjoyable conditions—is high. 

The only problem is that by November, we’re all desperate to ski again. After half a year off, reason gives way to anticipation. And so, I met Greg McMillan and Aaron Fudge at 6 a.m. under a gray overcast at Pinkham this morning.

We clicked into our skis at the car and started up the John Sherburne Ski Trail. Beyond the bridge near HoJo’s, we pushed on to get a look at Hillman’s Highway. It was still too bony to ski, so we looped back to HoJo’s and started up to Tuckerman Ravine. It was thin but continuous with just enough snow to skin from bottom to bowl.

The clouds kept the headwall hidden until we were nearly beneath it. We’d hoped Left Gully might be in play, but its apron was nowhere near skiable, so it didn't seem worth further exploration. 

Chute was the only part of the headwall that looked even remotely reasonable so we headed up that way, all the while digging hasty pits to check the snow layers as the terrain got steeper. We found the top six inches was beginning to consolidate. It wasn’t much and it wasn't super reactive, but it was enough to convince us to duck under a rock, rip skins and call it good. The lower section of Chute skied surprisingly well—with probably a foot of mixed graupel.