APphysics
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- Joined
- Feb 5, 2024
south facing is a bit crusty
this was around 3300’
Catskill High Peaks Conditions
- Thread starter Ripitz
- Start date
this was around 3300’
Brownski
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 19, 2020
She is pretty impressive to say the least
Ripitz
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- Joined
- Dec 23, 2020
7.5 miles or so today along the Catskill Divide to complete my 2.25 missing section of the Pine Hill West Branch Trail.
Balsam in the distance.
Backside of Belleayre.
Buschies on Balsam
Skied and skinned one way and then cramponed back to the downhill.
No photos of the whiteout on the way back but the sun popped out just before I dropped in for last call at Overlook.
Balsam in the distance.
Backside of Belleayre.
Buschies on Balsam
Skied and skinned one way and then cramponed back to the downhill.
No photos of the whiteout on the way back but the sun popped out just before I dropped in for last call at Overlook.
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Looks like some more trees debarked by critters in a couple pics. Ya see any critter tracks?
Temp6
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- Joined
- Aug 6, 2020
How’d it ski?
Ripitz
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- Joined
- Dec 23, 2020
It skied quite nicely for overland travel. I was summiting Balsam (3,607ft) for my 3500 Club winter repeat. If I was only shopping for turns the juice wouldn’t be worth the squeeze. There was plenty of coverage everywhere including the lower elevations but the conditions were extremely variable. I skied almost 11 miles on many different aspects.
I started at Woodchuck Hollow in Pine Hill at 1,900ft. North facing with a frozen collapsible crust.
At around 3,000ft the Belleayre Lean-to was baking in the sun.
I bushskied across the east facing Lost Clove bowl at 3,100ft through some nice glades to the saddle below Balsam. There was much more fresh snow here from the last surprise storm and it was starting to go through the corn cycle.
I was able to navigate the Balsam cliff bands with skins. Much more coverage here than last time I was here earlier this year.
More fresh up top on the summit ridge. The trench was soft and cruisey.
On the way back, the cliffs were passable without downclimbing.
Some sweet north facing glades here which allowed a few soft turns on top of a supportive crust.
After the turnoff to Rider Hollow the Pheonecia West Branch Trail is seldom travelled.
The snow was stacked here.
I was able to kick back up to the ridge using only fishscales.
Balsam in the distance from below the site of the former Belleayre fire tower.
Belleayre Ridge
Skied some good turns down Cathedral from Hirschland with some freshies on the side. Made it to Discovery in time for last gondola and a victory lap to Overlook in time for last call.
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