What a Difference a Day Makes - 12/3/25

By Greg McMillan

By the time you are reading this, the storm has already blown through and the powder skied off. But there were many familiar faces out enjoying the sunshine and the first significant snowfall of the season. It was a treat to hear the "yews" echoing in the Notch!

I got a bit of a late start, arriving in the Pinkham Notch parking lot and hitting the trail around 7:30 am. Given there were two dozen cars in the lot, I opted to scope out the path less traveled, Gulf of Slides Ski Trail. I soon found out why it was less traveled, as the trail still needs a good amount of snow to be skiable. The bottom two larger water crossings are semi-frozen and well on their way to being easily passable. I made it to where the skin track splits left and found myself face to face with a dozen basketball size rocks before turning back and skinning down towards the Sherb. 

I made my way up the bottom and wider pitches of the Sherb before crossing over onto the Tuckerman Ravine Trail after chatting with some folks heading down. There are still a few dips on the TRT which require a bit of acrobatics to maneuver, but the contour mark in which skinning becomes smoother is slowly decreasing towards the Notch.

Once I reached Hermit Lake I chatted with caretaker Jim along with Emylee and Tyler. Per Jim the official measurement from this morning was 6" of new snow. I took a quick poke into the Ravine from the underlook just past the cabin before ripping skins and skiing back down, arriving to work just on time.

Compared to days past, the Sherburne Trail is in much better shape. This is the first run of my season where I can confidently say the Sherb is in. That being said, there are still some sharks poking out which will become more apparent as more skiers make their way down the trail today and this weekend. Water bars are filling in but a couple of the tricky ones are still lurking. 

The shop has been buzzing these last few weeks (thank you all for the support!) and with that comes an appreciation for the quieter moments on trail. It has been a treat to be part of such an amazing community comprised of thoughtful and caring folks. We wouldn't be here without you!

See you on the slopes,

- Greg