The whole season has seen one change after another due to Covid-19 concerns, travel restrictions, and other related challenges. It’s just one of those years. Crazy. It’s been good for us so far, but we’ve had to work extra hard for it. So to have a sizable self-contained group come to us wanting to ski was great — even though they were dealing with their own challenges, members being dropped and added, etc. And so it went. The group was led by Redline Guides Ryan McGuire and Will Murphy and they brought them up the Gulf of Slides Ski Trail to check out the view, learn some stuff, and enjoy some well-earned turns on the way out. A fabulous day with stunning clear, blue skies.
Here’s a summary written by Will.
A group of seven guests were looking for a day long backcountry ski adventure. Ryan and I took the group to Gulf of Slides in the beautiful setting of Pinkham Notch. After a debrief on weather, snow and avalanche conditions, hydration, food and clothing, we set our plan to ski only to the base of Gulf of Slides due to the avalanche risk and the high winds.
After all the gear was sorted, we began skinning up the trail. It was a beautiful sunny day with cold temperatures. The 2.7 miles skin went well and we arrived at the base of the slide. Fortunately the wind abated as we admired the view of the Gulf in a safe location.
The ski out was fantastic. The snow was smooth throughout with good bumps to test your skills. Everyone enjoyed a great time. —Will
Both Ryan and Will provided photos and video clips which we put together in a short movie:
Great job, everyone!