One More Before the Rain - 3/5/25

Mar 05, 2025

An unexpected weather window opened up this morning to try and squeeze one more run up high before today's weather rolls in and sets us back a bit. There is a considerable amount of snow in the alpine so I'd say we can take a hit and still come out of it alright. We began our ascent up the Sherburne trail with blue skies overhead and the sun poking through over the Wildcats. Some precip had fallen overnight with a mix below 3500' or so and 2.5 inches of wet heavy snow being reported at Hermit Lake.

After chatting with the fine folks that maintain our slopeside shelters, we decided that a run up in Tuckerman Ravine would be a solid choice for the morning. We skinned all the way from Hermit Lake to the floor of the Ravine and then a while longer before booting up towards Chute. Assessing snow along the way, we saw no red flags and decided to continue upwards toward Chute North Variation.

The wind was considerable yet warm and springlike, some higher gusts knocked us around a little but not enough to bail and turn back. Once behind the choke in Chute the wind died down however it became time to transition given the time and the impending storm. We poked a tiny bit into the line, found some shelter behind a rock, then dropped in.

The snow was incredibly dense and sticky, which make it nearly impossible to turn in spots. Once lower down the apron of the bowl, snow firmed up and the skiing became more enjoyable. We made our way down Little Headwall (likely to open up after the rain) and back down the Sherburne trail. The trail was a little slow at first but below the snow line became fast and fun. We'll see what happens after today but either way things are shaping up for a fun spring!

- Greg