Skiing Up the Auto Road

(More blog entries from sue)

It was actually kinda fun!

I decided to ski up the Auto Road yesterday.  We have our Ski To The Clouds event this Sunday, and I wanted to kind of check things out and see what the experience is like.  It was an absolutely beautiful spring day--blue sky, bright sun, no wind.  I knew the temperature was due to warm up into the 30s, so I dressed fairly light. 

I definitely wanted to make the climb using classic technique.  Earlier in the winter I'd tried skating up the bottom, and found it brutally hard.  Also today I knew that the groomer had laid down a classic track for about the first 2.5 miles.  It would be the ideal day to classic ski up.  My goal was to ski to "halfway", 3.6 miles up, the planned finish line for Sunday's Ski To The Clouds.

I put binder and extra blue hard wax on my skis.  In the short amount of trail between the lodge and the start of the Road's climb, I found I had zero kick with my hard wax.  I'd brought a tube of universal klister in my pocket and klistered up right at the Road's base.  I also shed my second shirt and hat.  One short sleeve long underwear shirt on top with a windbreaker tied around my waist would be adequate.  I started up the hill.

Fun!  I was actually able to kick and glide skiing up the Auto Road!  It was actually enjoyable!  (I hadn't really expected this, to tell the truth.)  My wax worked quite well, the temperature was pleasant and the track was great.  I was skiing!  (I had been prepared to be walking/grunting/suffering.) 

Higher up I had a nice view of Wildcat.  Then views to the northeast.  As I gained elevation without passing out my spirit soared.  I think the race on Sunday is going to be a really cool thing.  Not that I was putting in a race effort.  But it is uplifting to undertake such a challenge.  And as one goes higher and higher, the reward of accomplishment shone continually brighter. 

Good luck to all the Climbers on Sunday.  I hope you feel the same lift I did, skiing up the Mt. Washington Auto Road.

Comments

Re: Skiing Up the Auto Road
by elk on Mar 8th 2008, 3:54 pm

Sounds wonderful! Hope everyone has a great time tomorrow!

Re: Skiing Up the Auto Road
by Richard on Mar 8th 2008, 5:29 pm

Sue - Great ski report, but I'm kind of bummed that you left out the best part - the trip down? How was it and how did you dress? How long up and how long down? I used to have a similar mtn to ski and my favorite part was skiing down and getting tackled by my Irish Setter, Boomer, when ever I wiped out.

Re: Skiing Up the Auto Road
by sue w on Mar 8th 2008, 6:40 pm

Richard, To answer your questions: I skied up in about an hour. I think the downhill took me about 40 minutes, mostly I snowplowed as the middle of the road wasn't that smooth and I was on my skinny little Rossignol Xium classic skis and boots. A few times I did some parallel turns. The only time I fell was when I was "wedeling" (spelling?) and my ski edge caught a ridge and down I went. Muscle-wise the snowplowing was tougher than diagonal striding up. I would put one ski on the smooth snowcoach path, and then snowplow my other ski out to side, which bumped along on snow cat ridges. I'd switch legs every so often. With these particular conditions, my ski up was more uplifting than my ski down. But I do know the ski down CAN be a blast, as I've done it when it's freshly groomed. Very fun! I put on a ski hat and my windbreaker for the ski down and was totally comfortable--really warm day. I didn't have any Boomer for snow tackles. Even so, great fun!