Westside Adventures 3/3/25

Mar 03, 2025

With clear skies and moderate winds forecasted for the day, Abby and I decided to go check out what the Westside had to offer. Starting out, our main objective was to poke into Burt Ravine with a potential side quest to Felipe's slide. The mercury dipped to -4 in the lot so I had my concerns about a big day but once we got moving and into the sun it was smooth sailing until Jacob's.

The winds picked up at the ladder and the cold set in, but we pushed through for a bit and the winds eventually subsided. We encountered interesting skinning conditions higher up with a mix of windboard, rocks, and pure ice next to the tracks. A Canadian SAR helicopter hovered above, likely doing some drills and taking advantage of the beautiful weather on the Northeast's highest peak. In hopes of peeking into Great Gulf we strayed towards the top of Airplane but our view was somewhat limited without getting too close (see below photos).

After a successful summit we picked our way down the Cog, dodging rocks and rail spikes, and eventually found ourselves at the top of Burt Ravine. I was sceptical at first as it seemed like a classic case of "good from afar but far from good" but after some scouting we found our line, dropped in, and enjoyed some nice chalky turns. After wiggling through some trees we skinned back out towards Jacobs Ladder. I enjoyed a nice minigolf line off to the side before eating it and crashing through some brush. At least the landing was soft.

Our final tick for the day was Felipe's slide. We skied down to the drop in point, skated for a hot minute then dawned skins yet again and picked our way through the woods. The slide had been well trafficked since the prior storm but still offered soft and fun turns, especially lower down where some freshies awaited. After a quick snack break skins went on one final time for the ascent out and back to the Cog. The Cog itself was a mixed bag with softer powder turns above Waumbek Station and some chunky snow below where it had been warmed over the weekend.

Overall a stellar day up high going 3/3!

- Greg