Racing Sunrise on Sluice - 11/19/25

By Andrew Drummond

I had an early start today with a 9 a.m. appointment down in York, so the alarm went off at 4 a.m. and I was on the trail from Pinkham by 4:30. I headed up the Sherburne Trail to get a sense of what the skiing would look like on the way out. Coverage is surprisingly good for this time of year. The lower half is very firm, while the upper half has solid, edgeable snow. The final three pitches before Hermit Lake are still on the spicy side, but manageable.

From Hermit Lake, I took a few photos of Tuckerman Ravine. Even from a distance, crown lines were visible, and as I got closer it was clear that there has been a good amount of recent avalanche activity. The humidity and new snow from the past few days have contributed to some instability in specific areas, so snowpack evaluation remains important even early in the season.

Once in the Ravine, I aimed for cleaner snow and avoided areas that had already slid. I started up Chicken Rock Gully, which had a mix of conditions—some rotten snow lower down, but it improved steadily as I climbed. By the time I reached the intersection of Sluice and Right Gully above Lunch Rocks, the snow quality was much better, so I committed to climbing Sluice.

As I booted up Sluice, the snow improved consistently, though there was a short ten-foot section of unconsolidated snow as the pitch steepened. Above that, conditions returned to firm windslab. I topped out in a comfortable spot, transitioned, and took my time skiing down.

This is only my second day on skis this season, but the high alpine is already offering some worthwhile turns. I spoke with a party of three on my way out who also found notably good snow above Chicken Rock Gully.

I was able to exit the Ravine and ski all the way back to Hermit Lake without taking my skis off. From there, I followed the Sherburne Trail out. Right now, it’s more of an exit route than quality skiing—coverage down low still needs more snow, and it’s unclear when that will fill in. But for anyone willing to put in the effort, access to the upper terrain is quite good.

Early season conditions always come with variables, but the travel is efficient, stability observations are straightforward, and pockets of quality skiing are out there. A solid window if you’re looking to get into the alpine this week.