# Tuckerbrook Trail - 3/5/11



## snowmonster (Mar 7, 2011)

*Date(s) Skied: *3/5/11

*Resort or Ski Area: *Tuckerbrook Trail, Cannon, NH

*Conditions: *Temps 32 to 38; No winds at the base but high winds near the summit; cloudy; wet snow, spring-like snow at the bottom; powder to packed powder near the summit; bumpy on 13 Turns. 

*Trip Report: *I finally got to ski this trail on the wrong side of Cannon. Winds were howling and only the Cannon tram was running. Mittersill was actually "closed" and, according to a Canon skier I met coming down the trail, patrol was enforcing it.

I started skinning from the parking lot at around 1045 and got to the Mittersill saddle before 2. The lower portion was an easy skin up through a 25 feet wide trail. It then bends to the left then becomes narrow then goes up and down as it skirts a ravine (which I could not see because of the fog). The trail widens and steepens then turns right into the famous 13 Turns, which were bumped up and quite tricky to skin. Eventually, I reached the junction with the Taft Trail at Cannon, which patrol roped off. I skinned up the Taft to the Mittersill saddle. I remember it being much tighter in the old days with rocks sticking up all over the place. The entrance to Tuckerbrook from Taft is actually quite large and very obvious even without the rope.

The 13 Turns were an awesome bump run but it ended too quickly. There were chutes in between bends on the turns which made for great skiing. There were trails going into the woods on skier's right. I suspect these are either local's powder stashes or cutbacks to the Mittersill trails. When I got to the wide part of the trail, the snow was really sticky and heavy. It was nice to go into the well-spaced trees to skier's left for low angle glades. Nearer the bottom on skier's left were steep chute-like variations with cliffs and other natural features. 

When I got to the parking lot, I met a local who told me that the place was a blog-free zone. It probably had to do with the parking lot which could accommodate only 5 or 6 cars. Anyway, I won't reference how to get to the lot but this place is no well-kept secret. 

Lower part of the Tuckerbrook trail:










The trail narrows around a ravine:





A bend on the 13 Turns:





Chutes through the trees on the 13 Turns:





Tracks into the woods to more secret stashes or back to the Mittersill trails:





The junction with the Taft Trail:





Great view from atop Mittersill:





Back down the 13 Turns:





The wide trail near the end:









Chutes and cliffs on the side of the trail:





A flask of scotch at the end of the trail:


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## iSki (Mar 7, 2011)

Noice trip report. Luv the pics


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## yiming (Mar 8, 2011)

Is it tricky to find the trail from the top? I didn't see it last time I skied down Taft. The only trails I found are Hardscrable on the right and straight up to Mittersil.


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## Puck it (Mar 8, 2011)

yiming said:


> Is it tricky to find the trail from the top? I didn't see it last time I skied down Taft. The only trails I found are Hardscrable on the right and straight up to Mittersil.


 

You hike over the saddle and start to ski down to Mittersill and it is on the left side.  Can't miss it.


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## Puck it (Mar 8, 2011)

snowmonster said:


> There were trails going into the woods on skier's right. I suspect these are either local's powder stashes or cutbacks to the Mittersill trails.


 
You are correct in that assumption.


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## snowmonster (Mar 8, 2011)

Thanks, iski!

yiming, what Puck said. The entrance is in one of the photos.

Puck it, if I wasn't solo that day, I would have gone off-off trail and skied those stashes. Perhaps, another day.


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## iSki (Mar 8, 2011)

I hope to be hittin the secret stashes this weekend


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## Cannonball (Mar 8, 2011)

Nice work getting it the hard way.  T-brook solo is always a challenge and this is the most logistically simple (but physically challenging) way to get it done.

The 'blog free' comment from the local is pretty humorous considering the detailed turn-by-turn directions in DG's well known, widely publicized book.  Still, I guess it makes sense to keep the chatter down.  If for no other reason than to improve your chances of a parking spot.


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## snowmonster (Mar 9, 2011)

^ Thanks, cannonball. It's also the cheaper way of getting it done. =) I also think it's good to climb up what you will be skiing down so you can get the lay of the land and develop an attack plan.

As to the blog-free zone comment, I wanted to tell the guy "how can this be a secret when DG has told the world about this spot?" It certainly brought me into the neighborhood. But, you're right about the parking situation. I was actually told not to park across the lot since they towed from there.


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