gorgonzola
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
After seeing Bearpen in the distance over the years it was time to get a closer look. With some good intel from @Ripitz , a buddy and I arrived at Heisinger Rd. Saturday morning around 10 to overcast skies and 34d. The 6-8” of snow at the base was dense and crusty from Friday's warm temps and ncp. Anticipating less than stellar snow conditions we had a plan B to head to Windham for a skin lap. We decided to head up anyway.
The temps were perfect for the climb, one of the most enjoyable tours I’ve done. The gentle pitch on the snowmobile trail only requires climbing wires for maybe a quarter of the way. There were some nice vistas along the way.
A few sleds passed us on the way up, one of them on a ditch pickle that turned around and stopped to talk to us. Muffled by his helmet and the engine noise we didn’t quite get it all, only making out the number 7(?) and that we had our work cut out for us. A few minutes later a skier came down and gave us the snow assessment we were expecting, describing his aborted attempt of skiing off trail as “very punchy”. A little further, about two thirds of the way up, we encountered some overhead drifts (7’?) sliced by a single wide sled track. As we continued over them and the firm track up to the summit I began to question our decision. We passed some nice looking skiable lines that would be good in better snow.
After an hour and half or so we arrived at the summit along with some sledheads, hikers, snowshoers, another ski group, a few fat bikers and the sun.
We had a nice long snack and beer break chatting with the fat bikers and ski group debating if the snow would soften in the sun. Although they also talked to the descending skier on the way up, the other group of skiers/boarders’ assessment of the snow was more optimistic than ours and they set off along the ridge through the trees down to the snowmobile trail below. The descent down the upper third of the snowmobile trail was as spicy as imagined and I used every turn and technique known to man, or at least me - power wedge, hockey stop, side slip (except tele turn lol) until I got to the whoop-de-doos. I side slipped a few then circumnavigated the larger ones with a little traverse out and back through the trees. Once we got below that the trail widened and snow softened enough for quite an enjoyable ski back to the car with even a few tele turns in the corn snow on the lower mountain. Just as we were finishing packing up the other group came down saying that “punchy” was an understatement in the upper mountain trees.
All in a fun adventure and a great day of “bad” skiing! There were lots of cars in Bearpen Sports' lot on the way out, hopefully with continued success they will expand to clearing some backcountry lines in the future.
The temps were perfect for the climb, one of the most enjoyable tours I’ve done. The gentle pitch on the snowmobile trail only requires climbing wires for maybe a quarter of the way. There were some nice vistas along the way.
A few sleds passed us on the way up, one of them on a ditch pickle that turned around and stopped to talk to us. Muffled by his helmet and the engine noise we didn’t quite get it all, only making out the number 7(?) and that we had our work cut out for us. A few minutes later a skier came down and gave us the snow assessment we were expecting, describing his aborted attempt of skiing off trail as “very punchy”. A little further, about two thirds of the way up, we encountered some overhead drifts (7’?) sliced by a single wide sled track. As we continued over them and the firm track up to the summit I began to question our decision. We passed some nice looking skiable lines that would be good in better snow.
After an hour and half or so we arrived at the summit along with some sledheads, hikers, snowshoers, another ski group, a few fat bikers and the sun.
We had a nice long snack and beer break chatting with the fat bikers and ski group debating if the snow would soften in the sun. Although they also talked to the descending skier on the way up, the other group of skiers/boarders’ assessment of the snow was more optimistic than ours and they set off along the ridge through the trees down to the snowmobile trail below. The descent down the upper third of the snowmobile trail was as spicy as imagined and I used every turn and technique known to man, or at least me - power wedge, hockey stop, side slip (except tele turn lol) until I got to the whoop-de-doos. I side slipped a few then circumnavigated the larger ones with a little traverse out and back through the trees. Once we got below that the trail widened and snow softened enough for quite an enjoyable ski back to the car with even a few tele turns in the corn snow on the lower mountain. Just as we were finishing packing up the other group came down saying that “punchy” was an understatement in the upper mountain trees.
All in a fun adventure and a great day of “bad” skiing! There were lots of cars in Bearpen Sports' lot on the way out, hopefully with continued success they will expand to clearing some backcountry lines in the future.
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