# Gulf of Slides - March 12, 2010



## snowmonster (Mar 14, 2010)

*Date(s) Skied: *March 12, 2010

*Resort or Ski Area: *Gulf of Slides

*Conditions: *30's, overcast (no rain), cloudy on the ridge atop GOS, snow was edgeable (frozen granular?), breezy but no strong winds, fog cleared up in the late afternoon; low avalanche danger.

*Trip Report: *

I got to Pinkham Notch VC at around 930 am. I checked in and found out that avy danger was low. The AMC staffer told me that conditions may be icy because of the warm up the past few days and overnight freeze. I started skinning up the Gulf of Slides ski trail at around 1030. A skier parked beside my car and I told him I was heading up to GOS and he decided to head there instead of Tucks. He went ahead of me and he was my only company in the GOS the whole day. Three-quarters of the way up, I met a snowboarder (who posts on Time for Tuckerman) coming down the GOST. He spent the night in the GOS and gave me a conditions report. Basically, aside from another AMC person, only 4 people had been in the GOS that day. In contrast, I heard later that a whole bunch of people were at Tucks.

I got to the base of the main gully at around 130 (yup, I'm the world's fastest skinner!), had lunch and hiked up. The other guy and me just hiked halfway to 3/4 of the way on main gully. The fog obscured the ridge and we didn't want to be stranded up there in the dark. The snow was edgeable and sloughed around us. Coverage was pretty good for now. We were contemplating doing some of the other gullies but decided to stick to what we knew. Being alone up there makes you ski more conservatively, I guess. After 2 runs, the other skier headed home. At that point, I began to understand the phrase "splendid isolation." I hiked up one more time then started skiing down at around 4:07pm.

The GOST going down was pretty firm with bumps already forming. It's pretty narrow and the combination of stiff skis and tired legs were an exhausting combination. With multiple stops, I made it back down in an hour. I hope to be back in the GOS this season. This was a true backcountry ski experience.

I'll let the photos do the talking:

Rescue cache/memorial at the end of the GOST:






Skier in the bootpack up main gully:





Obligatory shot of Wildcat across the valley:





Boott Spur:





Slide Peak (is that the snowfields on the right?):





Mid-run looking down on main gully:





Looking up main gully to the now less foggy ridge:





Carving on main gully:









Bottom of main gully - We used the rise on the left to rest with the start of the trail down on the right:





The Gulf of Slides ski trail is narrow and can have a double fall line in parts:









This is the end of the Sherburne, which is pretty wide compared to...





...the end of the GOST, which looks like a glade run in comparison:





End of the day. Whew!


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## Edd (Mar 14, 2010)

Great report.  Really makes me want to start earning turns since I'm driving by there all the time.


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## snowmonster (Mar 14, 2010)

Thanks, Edd. It's a good detour from the Rivah. I was actually thinking of staying over at the Joe Dodge lodge then heading to SR on Saturday but I had to head back to Boston.

Note: I added new photos.


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