TR teaser: South Face of Larrabee

By: Sam
January 28, 2011 9:39 pm | Category: Quick Update, Skiing | 1 Comment | Permalink


Allen getting ready to drop in on one of the chutes on the S face of Larrabee.

Allen and I met up with a large group up at the Winchester hut and skied a run down the south face of Larrabee yesterday. I’ll get the full TR up tomorrow, but I was so stoked on the day that I wanted to make sure to get something up today.


Negative Freezing

By: Greg
January 23, 2011 10:58 pm | Category: Skiing | 11 Comments | Permalink

The forecast temperature for the coldest part of this cold snap is “negative freezing.” I don’t just say that tongue and cheek either. Negative freezing is a technical term. It’s freezing (32F) but negative (-32F). That’s cold! What can one do to stay warm? Get the skins on your skis, and earn your schuss! Just be careful with any plastic equipment. As we found out this weekend plastic likes to break when it’s negative freezing.
Earn your schuss

If you move fast enough on the uphill, and changeover quickly, you can keep just enough warmth in your baselayers to avoid freezing to death before you start climbing again. If you’re having trouble moving fast enough may we suggest finding an especially heart-pumping line? Just after I snapped this picture, Ben broke a pole. Yeah it was that cold. Good thing the schuss was spicy!
heart pumping ski line

If you still are cold, try throwing a huck right into the middle of your line. That’ll get the blood flowing.
A mid line huck

No matter what you do to stay warm though, be sure to get a faceshot. Snow is a great insulator. It helps to get it in your face.
get a faceshot on cold days

The cold temperatures look to stay in place through at least the early part of this week, and then maybe a storm is on deck for mid week. Lionel? No matter what, you need to find a way to deal with these temps! The snow in New England is incredible right now, and it needs to be schussed. Thanks for checking out FIS!


SPAM #13: Triple Black Diamond

By: Greg
January 21, 2011 8:38 am | Category: Skiing, SPAM | 6 Comments | Permalink

It’s been a few weeks since we cooked up some fresh SPAM. Between doing some hard math problems in which 1″=1′, and 6″=1m, and going back to our roots, FIS has been quite busy. Anyway as we go into the weekend here’s Ben Peters tagging the heck out of a Triple Black Diamond in the Vermont backcountry.
Ben Peters Skis a Triple Black Diamond

As always, here’s a desktop background version. It’s a weird size for desktops though. Oh well. Hopefully it’s worth at least a few days behind your workspace.

Thanks for checking out FIS!


Ok…so it’s not another full blown Nor’easter…

January 20, 2011 4:33 pm | Category: Weather | 5 Comments | Permalink

A few days ago, in the midst of another good (but a little too wet) storm I mentioned something about a coastal storm on the way.  Well the way has arrived. 

Unfortunately, the system looks to arrive without the necessary amplification in the upper levels of the atmosphere to really spin itself up into a full blown nor’easter. This doesn’t mean that it’s going to be a total wash of course.

As the system races into the region it will bring a widespread 3-5 inches of fluff across the Catskills, 4-8 inches in the Berkshires, and 3-7 inches in extreme southern VT.  Across much of northern VT this will be a light snowfall event.  Mainly in the 1-3 range.  Now most of the models aren’t really picking this up, but I have a sense based on some of the RH data that some of the higher peaks in northern VT will pick up a touch more.  Something on the order of 6 inches seems more reasonable when all is said and done. I have a feeling that the orographics (though RH is limited when the prime lower level lift is going off) and very cold temps will work to produce some high ratio fluff. That should push the totals a little higher. 

By far the hardest hit areas will be from CT through RI and MASS towards Boston.  A foot is likely to fall in this region by Saturday.

Looking long term I see good things. Cold things. But good things.  Trough and storm threats all through out the next 10 days.


TR: Ughhh! YET ANOTHER East Coast TR?!

By: Greg
January 18, 2011 2:00 pm | Category: Full Trip Report, Skiing | Permalink

With a week of great schuss, and no story to be found that links them together, we’ve concocted a TR blending mountain adventure, powder skiing, and cliff hucks. Kinda just like the old days! Maybe. Check it out:
click here to read the full TR
Click the picture or here to read Ughhh! YET ANOTHER East Coast TR?!


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