Time Again For Snow Fun

Photo: Becca on the Edmands Path with the stunning Presidential Mountains rising above her. Our point to point hike over Mount Eisenhower and Mount Pierce was just under 8 miles.

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

“Opening Soon for Snow Sports”
Those words are disappearing fast on the SkiNH.com conditions report when a New Hampshire resort opens for the season. Those words are replaced with the ”Open Resorts” Conditions Report!
I am excited to report that two weeks ago Bretton Woods and Loon Mountain were the first in New Hampshire to open their slopes for skiing and snowboarding. This week more are opening and more are planning to open the following week. Be sure to check your favorite resort’s website for season pass and ticket information.
I hope Mother Nature brings us more winter weather and lots of snow.
The snow conditions will continue to improve with the big help from snowmaking. The hiking conditions are tricky until we get more natural snow.
Becca and I hiked Mt. Eisenhower and Mount Pierce the day after it snowed a few inches.
We went up the Edmands Path, starting on Clinton Road, around 8 am and we finished on the Crawford Path at the top of Crawford Notch. The temperature was in the low 20s but the sun was shining bright.
We wore our winter boots and carried our mirco-spikes (chains with teeth that attach to the bottom of our boots). We hiked carefully paying attention to where we stepped because of the light snow covered boobie traps of slippery ice and ankle turning holes between rocks.

High up on the side of Mount Eisenhower we had a nice view of Bretton Woods and we could see the white plumes of snow from their snowmaking snowguns. I was giddy knowing I would be skiing there in just a few days.
The bright white White Mountains glistened in the morning sun. Thankfully there was just a breath of wind and it didn’t feel too cold. We remarked that it takes a few times of getting out in the cold to get used to the feeling of winter.
On the summit of Eisenhower I decided to change into my thicker fleece red gloves and discovered that I had brought along two left gloves. I had reorganized my backpack contents for winter but I missed this detail.
It was cold and clear and we enjoyed the view of the surrounding mountains. This outing felt like winter and looked like winter.
Getting off of Eisenhower towards Mt. Pierce wasn’t easy because the ice was hard and thick. We took our time to step carefully but we both still ended up on our butts at least once.
As we headed towards Mt. Pierce on the Crawford Path we began meeting people on their way to Mt. Eisenhower. I guessed we would meet 12 people before we hit the spur to Mt. Pierce’s summit. Becca guessed higher.
I found a micro-spike in the snow between ice patches and I went running back to the man that last passed us. He had not realized that it had come off and was mighty thankful that I had returned it. He certainly would have noticed as soon as he hit the ice on Eisenhower.

At the intersection there was a gal standing there waiting for a friend behind her. I told her not to move. When I got to her and stepped off the Crawford Path I explained she would have been number 13 and I would have lost the bet. My guess that we would meet 12 people on the Crawford Path between the peaks was perfect. Becca would have won if she took a couple more steps forward.
After tagging the highpoint on Pierce we headed back down to the Crawford Path, but before we reached it we decided to sit on some rocks in the sun and eat our lunch. It was early for lunch but we were hungry. We watched the snow and clouds swirl around Mount Washington.
On our way down the Crawford Path we passed by more people than we could be bothered to count. Most people don’t start as early in the morning as we do. Hiking up to Mt. Pierce on the Crawford Path is a popular first winter hike because the path is protected by the trees until reaching treeline near the summit of Mt. Pierce.
There wasn’t as much snow on the Crawford Path as there was on the Edmands Path. The hiking was easier because it wasn’t as slippery and awkward.
Becca and I are looking forward to having to need our snowshoes. Hopefully our next hike! A few days later I went skiing at Bretton Woods for my first time downhill skiing this season. It was a joy to ride the gondola to the summit and ski top to bottom. The snow conditions were packed powder thanks to a snowstorm a few days prior. The snow was well groomed too.
Bretton Woods is making more snow and opening more trails nearly daily.
While I was there it was cold and cloudy but still good visibility for skiing. Down below I could see as far as the bright red roof of the Omni Mount Washington Hotel but not beyond the hotel. The clouds hid Mount Washington and its neighboring mountains.
I made a lot of runs before I took a break in the Rosebrook Summit Lodge. The Peaks Cafe has good coffee and some good sticky buns. This gave me more energy to keep skiing. I quit after making 17 runs, which might be an opening day record for me.
Have Fun.