Queen of the Catskills

 Hunter (resort) Jaime Kennard asked if I wanted to skin this morning. Initially, he suggested East Side Drive. I agreed but in my mind I was thinking, “This is going to suuuck.” East Side Drive is steep to skin, icy, and often has moguls on it. It usually requires switchbacking with ski crampons or boot packing. So, basically, I packed every spikey sharp thing I own. I skinned over toward B lift going over frozen corduroy. Fortunately, we both opted for Belt Parkway. Giant “phew” for me. I love hanging with fellow backcountry skiers. Maybe it’s not that I’m antisocial; maybe it’s just that I never found people I connected to until I got into the backcountry community.  The conditions are better than last weekend, albeit more terrain is closed. Belt had less dirt than last weekend and was primo. Hellgate skied beautifully. Upper Crossover was closed, but I knew I could make it work if I skied it. However, I am a law abiding citizen so I didn’t poach it. Upper K is open! Last ...

 Hunter (resort) Back at Hunter (the resort). On the skin up there was some sticky slush that makes you feel like you’re skinning with crampons or through a glue trap. There are bare spots of dirt on Belt and what looks like a micro-crevasse. It’s definitely some later season conditions. Gold star goes to Eisenhower for the hero snow bumps that will have you thinking you’re way better than you are. If you’re trying to learn bumps, then this is the time and trail to practice on. Lower Crossover is still open, but you might need to be more advanced to tackle that. There are rocks poking through. Still super fun, though! Hellgate is skiing well. There are some bare spots forming near the top. Minya and Upper K are closed. White Cloud and Belt are open and skiing well. I didn’t venture to North. Today was more about the human interactions, though. I am not a particularly social person, but I do LOVE interacting with members of the ski community, and spring skiing is what that’s all abo...

Mount Sherrill (17/33) If saplings were a good skiable surface, then Mount Sherrill would’ve been epic today. I expected a bit more coverage after the “bomb cyclone,” but much like the Sirens of Greek mythology, if you’re not cautious you will crash against the rocks. The lot had 8 cars in it when I arrived around noon, but I barely saw anyone until the end of the day on the way back. The water crossing was a bit tricky, but if you walk along the creek, you’ll eventually find an area where you can rock hop without getting too wet. Much of the logging road on the way up is pretty sparse, like not even enough snow to cover my powder baskets on my poles. Some parts were even bare. There’s also a lot of blowdown, water bars, and rocks. As I climbed the snow got denser. I’d still say there was only about 5 inches or so toward the summit. The ride down consisted of periods of let me just point me skis down these ledges and through this mess of saplings and hope I don’t get caught on anythin...

  Eagle, Haynes, and Balsam Mountains 16/33 I think backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering are the apex of skiing. They bring together all the disciplines for skiing’s truest purpose: to explore and navigate through mountains. I was so happy I was able to bag one last peak before the rain. My attitude this morning was, “Let me take my skis and see what I find,” and I found just enough for what I needed. Deborah needed Balsam for her 3500 patch and I still needed to ski Eagle, so we drove to the trailhead on Rider Hollow Rd. The coverage up the red trail is thin, but was skinnable this morning. The stream crossings are easily passable. Earlier in the day, the snow was very sticky and it was getting stuck to my skins inhibiting my glide. We did Eagle and Haynes first. Thank God those peaks are mellow because the coverage isn’t very good. The trails on these 3 peaks are very narrow, and there’s lots of shrubs, tight trees, blowdown, and rocks off the trail that interfere with your ...