Nor'Easter BC Non-Exclusive: Author David Goodman in Hanover

As Gered mentioned with an obvious lack of modesty in yesterday’s post, I cleared my busy schedule last night and made my way to Hanover’s Mountain Goat for a slideshow presentation by backcountry ski guru David Goodman.

-Trip Report- Mt. Greylock: Thunderstruck

Few trails are steeped in history like the Thunderbolt on Massachusetts' highest mountain: Mt. Greylock.  Sitting above the town of Adams in Western Mass., the mountain was a mecca for backcountry skiers in the 1930's and 40's. (Except in those pre-lift days they were just known as skiers.)  It remains a popular destination for skiers and boarders: expecially when the Berkshires fill-in with snow.

-Trip Report- Mt. Cardigan: A Backcountry Mountain with Training Wheels (March 2008)

I dare you to paint a picture with those shades of blue.  You'll be laughed at.

At some point in my life I'm going to be diagnosed with skin cancer.  I've resigned myself to this fate due to my Casper-esque complexion combined with an uncanny ability to forget sunscreen on the worst possible occasions. Someday they'll be burning a lesion off of my face, and I'll be dreaming of one such occasion: my first backcountry ski trip to Mt. Cardigan in New Hampshire.

AMC's Favorite Ski Tours

AMC (the mountain club, not the theater chain) just sent out their November/ December issue of Outdoors and included a feature article on their four favorite spots for backcountry skiing in New England.  There's even a video for you kids who don't read too good.

The video, narrated by David Goodman, explains some of his favorite spots.

I'm not sure if I agree with AMC's list, but it provides a nice variety of steeps as well as rolling tours.

This begs the question: Which locales would I list as my favorites? 

After many minutes of contemplation and a vision quest involving NyQuil and a stationary bike, I've summoned the following list:

4. Mt. Cardigan, NH
3. Mt. Hunger, VT
2. South Baldface, NH
1. Gulf of Slides, Mt. Washington, NH

Which would you list?

-Trip Report- South Baldface: Secret Stashes and Country Clubs (March 2008)

The snowfields on South Baldface

Should you keep a great backcountry spot secret, or should you tell the world about it? 

A New Old Resource for East Coast Skiers

Right there between bird watching and lighthouses.

I received a photo from my friend Keith yesterday.  Keith, who has sworn off winter camping and backcountry skiing, had noticed a book on backcountry skiing at the local Borders. He hadn't seen me reading it yet, so naturally had to pass it along.  

My first thought:  Aha! Keith is now noticing books on backcountry skiing.  Maybe our campfire chat did him some good, and there is hope for him after all.

My second thought: What?  A book about East Coast backcountry skiing that I've never heard of?!

Well, a quick Amazon search revealed that this is a new version of two older books.  It appears David Goodman has combined his two previous volumes on backcountry skiing into one book covering both New England and New York.  I'm curious to see if he's added any new destinations to his reviews.

This would be a good resource for those looking for an introduction to backcountry skiing in the East.