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View Full Version : Cutting/skiing Lines above Inverness Area



vonski
01-14-2009, 09:10 PM
Anyone have any thoughts about what one might find on Monday up there? There could be some Fluff on Monday morning! Hike in off the LT.

Howie U interested?

HowieT2
01-14-2009, 09:14 PM
Anyone have any thoughts about what one might find on Monday up there? There could be some Fluff on Monday morning! Hike in off the LT.

Howie U interested?

I'm in. kids allowed? my 12 year old can hold his own and bushwacks with the best of them.

vonski
01-14-2009, 09:24 PM
Don't see why not. I am hoping my 11 year old will come too then. When I asked him if we needed an Ellen plus pass, his answer was why Dad we can just hike the LT to Castlerock and ski. I tried to explain to him that would be morally wrong!! :roll:

freeheel_skier
01-15-2009, 12:51 AM
Don't see why not. I am hoping my 11 year old will come too then. When I asked him if we needed an Ellen plus pass, his answer was why Dad we can just hike the LT to Castlerock and ski. I tried to explain to him that would be morally wrong!! :roll:

Earning turns is never morally wrong! No matter what age and the circumstance! :wink:

Lostone
01-15-2009, 07:11 AM
Hmmm... LT crosses the peak at North. From the bottom, Castlerock is to the left, and Inverness to the right.

You're thinking of using the ME+?


Not sure I'd want to be in your exploration party. :?

Hawk
01-15-2009, 07:23 AM
Anyone have any thoughts about what one might find on Monday up there? There could be some Fluff on Monday morning! Hike in off the LT.

Howie U interested?

Vonski, a little advice. Be very careful on your navigation. The long trail does not run exactly on the spine the closer to MRG you get. It's gets a little tricky up there on that ridge and can be deceiving. The woods are thick. Make sure you drop down on the right side of the ridge or you may end up somewhere you don't want. Good luck.

vonski
01-15-2009, 07:50 AM
Hawk. I have the topos for the area hopefully that will help. Have been studying them closely. but they are deceiving as well as they are not pinpoint precise. It does look like the LT connects along the top of the line above Inverness. It looks like it goes backside and comes back around at the top of the cut line that was made years ago. Am I looking at that right.

vonski
01-15-2009, 07:52 AM
Earning turns is never morally wrong! No matter what age and the circumstance! :wink:[/quote]

My friend who patrols told me he did not want to know about it. Did not want to be Classless again. as if I made it down to Castlerock, I would be cutting a passholder for south when getting on the lift! :shock: :lol:

vonski
01-15-2009, 07:54 AM
Hmmm... LT crosses the peak at North. From the bottom, Castlerock is to the left, and Inverness to the right.

You're thinking of using the ME+?


Not sure I'd want to be in your exploration party. :?


No talking about going one way or the other. either to South if bored with North or out to check out the woods above Inverness.

Hawk
01-15-2009, 08:18 AM
If BMM was here he would tell you the precise directions off line I am sure. It's been a while but I am pretting sure that the old lift line is now 10'+ tall trees and not skiable at all. Also that old line is down a different ridge from the Spine and is actually the ridge that divides North from MRG. There is a huge flat spot up there that is very thick and tough to navigate. It was a long slog to get to good skiing and that was a bunch of years ago. The issue that people have had in the past is that they get out there and think they are going in the right direction. They find that they are on the MRG side and end up slogging out to Rt 17. If it was me I would not take my kids on a cold day because it may be a long day.

vonski
01-15-2009, 08:23 AM
Is there any way to make a right sooner that would then drop u down towards the cross over from exterminator to inverness pass the exterminator woods? Or are those woods just too thick too!

HowieT2
01-15-2009, 08:28 AM
If BMM was here he would tell you the precise directions off line I am sure. It's been a while but I am pretting sure that the old lift line is now 10'+ tall trees and not skiable at all. Also that old line is down a different ridge from the Spine and is actually the ridge that divides North from MRG. There is a huge flat spot up there that is very thick and tough to navigate. It was a long slog to get to good skiing and that was a bunch of years ago. The issue that people have had in the past is that they get out there and think they are going in the right direction. They find that they are on the MRG side and end up slogging out to Rt 17. If it was me I would not take my kids on a cold day because it may be a long day.

good advice. are you saying it's not worth the work?

ski_resort_observer
01-15-2009, 08:57 AM
http://forums.skimrv.com/albums/album33/invernesspod.jpg

Plowboy
01-15-2009, 09:15 AM
The best way is from the single. Be carefull from ME, it's an open invitation to the Jerusalem store. There was a sign in the store " Sugarbush Shuttle Bus does not stop here" :wink:

HowieT2
01-15-2009, 09:23 AM
The best way is from the single. Be carefull from ME, it's an open invitation to the Jerusalem store. There was a sign in the store " Sugarbush Shuttle Bus does not stop here" :wink:

I'm cool with that. I got a wife to come pick me up.

othripper
01-15-2009, 11:11 AM
Friend, think west-facing slope(at least the part towards Jerusalem) which means a lot of sun, think lower altitude, think crappy snow year, think no clue as to where you are going. Are you sure this is what you want to do? I would take some matches and a headlamp or two if I were you.

freeheel_skier
01-15-2009, 11:19 AM
Friend, think west-facing slope(at least the part towards Jerusalem) which means a lot of sun, think lower altitude, think crappy snow year, think no clue as to where you are going. Are you sure this is what you want to do? I would take some matches and a headlamp or two if I were you.

Think walking out :shock:

atkinson
01-15-2009, 11:36 AM
This weekend is probably not the best time for this adventure. If you were going to skin up from the top of Inverness, I'd say fine, but the section of the LT from Northridge to Antelope is notoriously disorienting and the main place that people get lost at Sugarbush.

The easiest place to successfully get into this area from above is MRG, as noted. The shoulder of the ridge is only a little way off the edge of Antelope. I have skied this route several times and had mixed results. Avoid the old liftline, it is very thick. Southfacing slopes can be crusty and the vegetation grows faster.

If you go anywhere in this cold, plan and prepare well.

John

Strat
01-15-2009, 12:14 PM
FWIW, I've heard the ridgeline out from Exterm Woods towards the old lift cut (on the other side of the ridge from the LT) is extremely thick and sprucey. Probably not the most fun to be bushwhacking around in. And of course, as has been said, watch out for the double ridgeline up there... it's not that far over to Jerusalem, but it'd probably be better to stay on this side of the mountain.

HowieT2
01-15-2009, 12:24 PM
It seems the consensus is this is not a good idea in general and specifically now with thin cover. But while we are on the topic, would any of you folk want to make a trip to Jerusalem once the snow cover permits?

Strat
01-15-2009, 12:24 PM
While we're on the topic of ridgeline backcountry, does anyone know if the open rockslide area south of Black Diamond and FIS, below the LT, has a name, or is skiable? I'm not planning an adventure, I'm just curious. I would assume some of the routes into Slide Brook from the LT must come fairly close to it.

Hawk
01-15-2009, 01:11 PM
Howie, sounds like eveybody has answered this. I will say this, it was a long time ago and it was thick then. In this case I would say that with the lack of snow and pretty good intel by others makes it a no go.

I personnaly have a knack for just going and expecting it's going to be a cluster F*#@. When it's not then I am loving life. When it is then I curse and push onward. Usually I have done some recon and have my GPS with me and have a few way point to go by.

Anyway it's your call. :wink:

vonski
01-15-2009, 08:47 PM
Just want to thank everyone for their input here. Don't want to make any stupid mistakes out there. And it looks like going into that area could result in some mistakes. That is why questions are asked and listened to. Just stoked from the earlier posts about the area when we were all talking about the potential for Cat Skiing up there. So again thanks, you won't be having to send out the Rescue team on Monday afternoon.

HowieT2
01-19-2009, 07:27 PM
We did it. It went quite well, actually. Myself, Vonski and our boys headed into the woods after a couple of warmup runs and as soon as the NRX started up. Caught some good lines through thinned out birch with beautiful snow. Then bushwacked over to the other side of the ridge and made our way to the fire road. We caught the mad bus back to mellon before lunch. No injuries, good workout and minimal damge to the skis.

Strat
01-19-2009, 08:15 PM
We did it. It went quite well, actually. Myself, Vonski and our boys headed into the woods after a couple of warmup runs and as soon as the NRX started up. Caught some good lines through thinned out birch with beautiful snow. Then bushwacked over to the other side of the ridge and made our way to the fire road. We caught the mad bus back to mellon before lunch. No injuries, good workout and minimal damge to the skis.
Which fire road?

HowieT2
01-19-2009, 09:03 PM
We did it. It went quite well, actually. Myself, Vonski and our boys headed into the woods after a couple of warmup runs and as soon as the NRX started up. Caught some good lines through thinned out birch with beautiful snow. Then bushwacked over to the other side of the ridge and made our way to the fire road. We caught the mad bus back to mellon before lunch. No injuries, good workout and minimal damge to the skis.
Which fire road?

The one that leads out to the runout.

mattlucas
01-19-2009, 11:13 PM
well played sirs.

vonski
01-19-2009, 11:35 PM
We picked it up at the begining or end where one would hit if you go straight down behind north lynx. We definitely earned our turns with the traverse around.

Strat
01-19-2009, 11:42 PM
We did it. It went quite well, actually. Myself, Vonski and our boys headed into the woods after a couple of warmup runs and as soon as the NRX started up. Caught some good lines through thinned out birch with beautiful snow. Then bushwacked over to the other side of the ridge and made our way to the fire road. We caught the mad bus back to mellon before lunch. No injuries, good workout and minimal damge to the skis.
Which fire road?

The one that leads out to the runout.
Ah, I thought you were referring to an above Inverness adventure, not Slide Brook

freeheel_skier
01-20-2009, 07:52 AM
We did it. It went quite well, actually. Myself, Vonski and our boys headed into the woods after a couple of warmup runs and as soon as the NRX started up. Caught some good lines through thinned out birch with beautiful snow. Then bushwacked over to the other side of the ridge and made our way to the fire road. We caught the mad bus back to mellon before lunch. No injuries, good workout and minimal damge to the skis.
Which fire road?

The one that leads out to the runout.
Ah, I thought you were referring to an above Inverness adventure, not Slide Brook

Hey! Next time put up a map! :roll:

Plowboy
01-20-2009, 08:04 AM
We did it. It went quite well, actually. Myself, Vonski and our boys headed into the woods after a couple of warmup runs and as soon as the NRX started up. Caught some good lines through thinned out birch with beautiful snow. Then bushwacked over to the other side of the ridge and made our way to the fire road. We caught the mad bus back to mellon before lunch. No injuries, good workout and minimal damge to the skis.
Which fire road?

The one that leads out to the runout.
Ah, I thought you were referring to an above Inverness adventure, not Slide Brook

Hey! Next time put up a map! :roll:

Schultz: I see NOTHING! I know NOTHING! :idea: :idea: :idea:

vonski
01-20-2009, 08:19 AM
Sorry, thought about that afterwards, can a moderator take it down. But if anyone does want to do that it is pretty obvious and PLEASE BE WARNED the Traverse out was painful, at least Today it is. I was completely drenched in sweat afterwards. So unless you really want some good exercise and like breaking snow I do not advise this trip!!!

Hawk
01-20-2009, 08:26 AM
Doah...... :shock:

vonski
01-20-2009, 08:38 AM
The snow down lower was definitely a lot thinner without the base underneath. Still open water in spots even with this cold weather. And glad there was not 2 feet of pow out there. The traversing would have been even more brutal. So again, never do this run after a major Dump!

Lostone
01-20-2009, 08:49 AM
Sorry, thought about that afterwards, can a moderator take it down.

I see nothing to take down.

People ski everywhere.
Remember that SkiMRV takes no responsibility for if or where you ski. This might be the year I get to leave Pushover, and ski . . . Sleeper? :shock:

Remember that you drive your own skis.

Be careful out there. :wink:

vonski
01-20-2009, 09:00 AM
map removed.

freeheel_skier
01-20-2009, 11:52 AM
As you might be aware, detailed knowledge of the woods / backcountry and their stashes are topics that are pretty much universally closely guarded 'secrets'. It's certainly not fodder for posting online - for obvious reasons. So if you have to ask, ask someone you know - or find a more personal & discreet way to get the info. Ever see a group of folks waiting on the side of a trail, waiting for traffic to clear? Could be they are waiting to drop into a favored line. There's a reason discretion is exercised in the real world, even more so in the online one. Sorry if this chaps your backside, but just trying to give some perspective.

Like Boze said in another thread :wink:

vonski
01-20-2009, 03:33 PM
As you might be aware, detailed knowledge of the woods / backcountry and their stashes are topics that are pretty much universally closely guarded 'secrets'. It's certainly not fodder for posting online - for obvious reasons. So if you have to ask, ask someone you know - or find a more personal & discreet way to get the info. Ever see a group of folks waiting on the side of a trail, waiting for traffic to clear? Could be they are waiting to drop into a favored line. There's a reason discretion is exercised in the real world, even more so in the online one. Sorry if this chaps your backside, but just trying to give some perspective.

Like Boze said in another thread :wink:

I totally agree that is why I edited my post. I think I was still in sleep drive mode when I posted and was psyched I had not made the bottom of the gully. Anyways, I often am the one on the side of the trail waiting for traffic to clear. So, I was embarrassed not chafed!!

Strat
01-20-2009, 06:26 PM
I missed it, you drew a map? In MSPaint or something?