THE RETURN TO THE WHITES – DEC 2023

OVERVIEW

I ran this trip last year and it was a pretty great time. During the day we skied, hiked, toured, mountaineered (is that a verb?), and generally had a great time in the snow. In the evenings, we gathered at my Grandparents cabin to eat big dinners, shoot pool, and occasionally break through the frozen lake for a polar plunge. Running it back has been highly requested so here’s my horrendously late trip post.

The white mountains are my home turf, and perhaps the most underrated natural area on the East Coast. Winter in the whites is horrendously cold and windy, but it offers access to the biggest alpine terrain on the East coast. Vast alpine terrain and sprawling glacial bowls with 1000+ vertical foot couloirs make it a playground for backcountry skiers/snowboarders, mountaineers, ice climbers, and others looking to appreciate the frozen beauty of it all. I’m pretty stoked to show you guys around.

Looking back on last year’s trip description, I wrote two (2) whole paragraphs about the weather. Here’s the short version: it cold. Sometimes the jet stream gets wonky and pumps arctic air over the mountains, getting the windchill into some nice triple-digit below-zero territory. But if that happens we just won’t do stuff in the alpine those days. What you should actually prepare yourself for is daytime averages of -10 to 30°F, with the windchill generally being -40 to 20°F. A puff jacket and wind shell that can be packed down into a bag, as well as snow pants, are necessities.

With that said, y’all should be happy to hear that this trip need not include any camping. Rather, I’m inviting you to come stay in my grandparents’ cabin in Wolfeboro, NH. Because we’re staying in a house that belongs to my grandparents, I expect those who come to be on their best behavior. We’ll definitely be enjoying some beverages and having a good time, but not getting rowdy since it’s my grandparent’s place and we’ll be doing strenuous activities during the day.

Speaking of activities, we’ll generally either all adventure together or split into groups by activity. Last year, full-group activities included hiking and a ski day at the local resort. I can more than likely find some very enticing pass/ski rental deals for Gunstock again. In addition, some days we’ll split up, with one group backcountry skiing (read more below) and the other hiking. I’ll work with the hiking crew to help plan fun days, having the chance to summit big mountains and traverse alpine terrain while avoiding any and all avalanche risk.

I will provide
– House
– Communal meals
– Fantastic winter vibes

You should bring
– Very warm layers that can pack down into a bag – puff jacket/shell/snow pants are necessities
– Winter gloves (if you don’t have any you can get good ones for like $30 at the hardware store in town)
– Various athletic fleeces
– Long underwear
– Face mask
– Goggles if you have them
– Microspikes (gear room)
– Daypack (gear room)
– Headlamp (gear room)
– Maybe snowshoes? (gear room)
– Trail snacks
– Comfy clothes for post-adventure chillin

Backcountry skiers:
Welcome to the birthplace of backcountry skiing in America, y’all are in for a treat. Or sometimes just shitty icy conditions and midwinter rain. But hey, that’s New England. My goal for the trip (conditions dependent) is to get up into some of the classic alpine terrain: Tuckerman Ravine, Great Gulf, SW snowfields. This requires climbing couloirs (w/ crampons/axe) and descending them on skis. This terrain is far steeper than any lift-serviced skiing in the world, so while no backcountry ski experience is required, you must be an advanced skier. It also involves avalanche risk. I will be employing very conservative decision-making when taking new backcountry skiers in avalanche terrain and educating you on practices, but please note in the questions if avy risk is a dealbreaker for you. Backcountry skiing is somewhat gear intensive (for good, life-saving reasons), so please read carefully. You’ll need (in addition to other packing list):
– Skis/boots/skins/poles if you plan on skiing (can be rented at White Mountain Ski Co, $70/day)
– Avalanche gear – beacon/shovel/probe (also can be rented, price not listed but I think it’s cheap or included if you get skis)
– Ice axe/crampons (gear room)
– Helmet/goggles or glasses

Estimated trip fee: $180 (likely some of this will be redistributed at the end)
– Gas reimbursement beyond the $100 reimbursed by the club
– Communal food and beverage
– A bit of buffer, likely to be redistributed at the end of the trip

Waitlist preference
– Drivers get priority off the waitlist (1 car needed), your car must have an AWD or 4WD drivetrain and handle reasonably well in the snow. Gas will be reimbursed up to $100 by the club, and the additional gas cost will be split up via the trip fee
– Those looking for exposure to backcountry skiing – I can’t teach that in Virginia so now’s the time