DCSki Forums

djop

October 31, 2022

Member since 03/18/2002 🔗

343 posts

How Vermonters, Austrians and Swiss launched skiing below the Mason-Dixon Line.

https://skiinghistory.org/news/pioneers-southland-skiing

marzNC - DCSki Supporter

October 31, 2022 (edited October 31, 2022)

Member since 12/10/2008 🔗

3,246 posts

djop wrote:

How Vermonters, Austrians and Swiss launched skiing below the Mason-Dixon Line.
https://skiinghistory.org/news/pioneers-southland-skiing

If anyone wants to know more about skiing in the southeast, the book Southern Skiing is on sale. Randy Johnson finally published the updated edition in 2019. Quite a lot changed since the first edition in 1986. He covers lift-served and backcountry skiing.

Southern Snow : The New Guide to Winter Sports

Moe Gull

November 2, 2022 (edited November 2, 2022)

Member since 09/5/2022 🔗

37 posts

I did not think the tallest was Mount Washington, but I also didn't think there were that many big peaks that far south. Hiking Tuckerman's Ravine is a fun weekend, tough to beat

Denis - DCSki Supporter

November 3, 2022 (edited November 3, 2022)

Member since 07/12/2004 🔗

2,337 posts

There are a lot more southern 6000 footers than I thought. en.wikipedia.org

they lack recent glacial activity - within the last 20,000 years. That and abundant snow. Tuckerman ravine is a classic U shaped glacial cirque carved by a glacier in its slow gravity driven flow down the mountain. Water carves V shaped valleys and glaciers, U shaped. Mt. Washington and the presidential range have numerous cirques that have great spring skiing, Gulf of Slides, Great Gulf, Huntington, Jefferson, Ammonoosuc, King. I have skied many. Note well that you must wait until the spring corn cycle is well established. The snowpack needs to freeze hard overnight, followed by a few hours of warm sun to make a beautiful ski-able soft snow surface. In winter large deadly avalanches are frequent.

pagamony - DCSki Supporter

November 3, 2022

Member since 02/23/2005 🔗

925 posts

Good stuff. Of course there are all those sixers down here :-). I was up on Mt Mitchel a week ago and there patches of snow in the shade and glades, and icebergs on some north rocks. Staff said they got a few inches of snow. Part of the BRP was closed but that was egregious. Nice to see though, winter is coming.

pagamony - DCSki Supporter

November 3, 2022

Member since 02/23/2005 🔗

925 posts

Also Mt Rogers in VA is only 5700+ but is an enormous mountain in girth and length, part of a long ridge of high tops. That could have been a nice ski area, but that would have been criminal on that beautiful land.