Winter Break Skiing/Mountaineering in New Hampshire!!

OVERVIEW

Greetings outdoorsians,

This winter break, a few friends and I are planning a magical trip to the Northeast.

~~~~~ THE PLAN (A brief primer) ~~~~~
On New Years Day we’ll leave from Charlottesville to drive ~11 hours to the Notch Hostel in New Hampshire. We’ll then use the hostel as our basecamp for the next 4 days to launch into various activities such as skiing/boarding at Cannon Mountain, skiing/boarding at the Sunday River ski resort, maybe Snowshoeing local trails, and for some of us, attempting a winter ascent of Mount Washington (see more below) !!! Having exhausted our poor bodies, we’ll make the drive back to Cville on Saturday, January 6th. Please read ALL of the following details below before signing up for this adventure.

~~~~~ LODGING ~~~~~
We’ll be sleeping at the Notch Hostel for the duration of the trip. Cost is $30 per night, check in is on Monday night (1/1/2018 ) and check out is on Saturday morning (1/6/2018 ). As of the time of this writing, the hostel still has at least 20 spots available for these 6 days at $30 a night.

~~~~~ FOOD ~~~~~
There will be no official group meals coordinated by me, so you should plan to prepare your own food at Notch’s kitchen or buy food at the ski resorts, etc.

However, I should mention that one of the co-planners of this trip, Josh McVeigh, has a culinary degree (!), and has stated interest in preparing some “dank food” for us using the Notch’s fully equipped kitchen. Josh’s dank food isn’t necessarily guaranteed, but be prepared to pitch in for the cost of ingredients if it happens.

~~~~~ MT. WASHINGTON (OPTIONAL!) ~~~~~
3-5 of us on this trip will be attempting to summit Mt. Washington on Wednesday 1/3 with the help of a professional paid guide on one of the days. If you are interested, please let me know on the trip questionnaire. Otherwise, if you don’t plan on climbing Mt. Washington, you can just ski/rest for another day! Please only indicate interest if you’re confident that you have the excellent level of aerobic fitness required for this endeavor. You must also be confident that you have the appropriate layers of clothing for this climb.
(See: http://notchhostel.com/blog/winter-hiking-in-the-whites-what-to-wear/ ).

Depending on the guide service we end up using, we may have to rent technical equipment such as mountaineering boots, ice axes, and crampons.

All in all, everyone who wants to join this climb should expect to pay between $170 and $200 for the guide, rented gear, and tip. The final decision on who can join this guided climb will be left to the discretion of me and the other trip planners, with the primary deciding factor being based on safety.

A tidbit about Mt. Washington from Synott Mountain Guides:

“Mt. Washington is known as the Home of the World’s Worst Weather, and still holds the world record for the highest windspeed ever witnessed by man, a mind boggling 231 mph. During the winter months, the wind speed on the summit tops 70 mph at least once every three days, and it’s not uncommon for climbers to encounter temperatures of -30F and below. You’ll be above treeline for about half of the ascent, which for many is their first experience with a true alpine environment.
The alpine conditions, combined with Mt. Washington’s accessibility, allow you to gain invaluable winter survival experience…without having to travel to the Rockies, Cascades or Alaska…”

~~~~~ SKIING/SNOWBOARDING ~~~~~
Everyone must take care of purchasing their own lift tickets and/or renting their own ski gear.

Most of the skiing (Monday-Thursday if you’re not doing Mt. Washington) will be at Cannon Mountain, which is only 15 minutes away from the Notch Hostel. However, for at least one day (Friday 1/5), we’ll be skiing at the Sunday River Ski Resort (1.5 hour drive from the Notch). The Friday lift ticket for Sunday River should be purchased as soon as possible. (See http://www.sundayriver.com/winter/tickets-and-passes/lift-tickets)

Cannon Mountain’s tickets can only be purchased on-site (rates and discounts/deals: http://www.cannonmt.com/lift-tickets.html), so you don’t need to worry about buying any of those online.

~~~~~ Day-by-Day Itinerary ~~~~~

Here’s the fleshed out day-by-day itinerary:

Monday 1/1: Leave from Cville at ~7am, arrive at the Notch at ~6-7pm. Check in, hang out, sleep.

Tuesday 1/2: Ski/Board at Cannon Mountain (15 minutes away from the Notch).

Wednesday 1/3: Climb Mt. Washington! If not climbing Mt. Washington, Ski/Board at Cannon Mtn, or Hike/Snowshoe local trails, or chill at the hostel!

Thursday 1/4: Rest Day OR more skiing at Cannon Mtn!

Friday 1/5: Everyone Ski/Board at Sunday River!

Saturday 1/6: Check out of the Notch and drive back to Cville, appx. arrival time to Cville is ~11pm.

~~~~~ APPROXIMATE TOTAL COSTS (per person) ~~~~~
Lodging = ($30*5 nights at the Notch) – ($5/night club lodging reimbursement) = ~$135 with taxes, etc.

Sunday River Friday, 1/5/2018 Lift Ticket = ~$80-$90 depending on how soon you purchase

Cannon Mountain 3 lift tickets = ~$150 depending on which days/discounts used

If Climbing Mt. Washington -> = ~ $200 for guide, gear, and guide’s tip.

Total Gas = ($200 per car) – ($150 club gas reimbursement) = $13 per person per car (assuming full cars of 4 people)

You must handle your own food, and gear rental expenses.

~~~~~ WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO GET ON THIS TRIP ~~~~~

1. Join the adventure and answer the questionnaire
2. Pay for the appropriate days’ lodging at the Notch Hostel online (you will need to pay up front $163)
3. Send Zakey (zaf2xk) a copy of your Notch Hostel receipt to get off the waitlist

Until you get off the waitlist, please hold off on buying Sunday River lift tickets. (see below)

DRIVERS NEEDED!!! All drivers will automatically get a 50% tip!!

NOTE: If for some reason, we have many people that want to go on this trip, and only 1 driver signed up that drives a small car. Only the first few that have signed up will get on this trip, and everyone else must cancel their Notch reservations. The Notch has a generous cancellation policy (cancel at least 72 hours in advance and get a full refund), so this shouldn’t really be a problem if you have to cancel. I ask that you wait until AFTER you’ve been let off the waitlist (which indicates that there’s driving space for you) to buy lift tickets, because lift tickets may not be as easy to return.

NOTE#2: Lily Wincele is probably going to be leaving/driving from her home in New York state to join this trip, so leave a comment on the questionnaire if you’re interested in her picking you up if you live in the NE!
~~~

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at zaf2xk@virginia.edu,
but please make sure you’ve read all of the above first.

So in conclusion,
Ride or Die.

~ Zakey