How Steep Is It?

The Flume a/k/a Certain Death

Have you ever skied Upper Goat on Stowe?  How about Devil’s Fiddle at Killington?  Middle Hardscrabble at Cannon?

How do they compare to the Headwall at Tuckerman’s, or the Flume, or that unnamed slide that keeps catching your attention on your trip through Crawford Notch?

 As I’ve been pondering different glades, slides and balds for skiing this winter, the question inevitably  arises: How steep is it?

Google Earth might just have a tool to help us all find the answer.

Lincoln's Chin (Note the Dimple)

Answering the all important question of steepness formerly involved measuring the number of contour lines, doing some mathematical equations, and developing an average steepness of a given line. 

Enter Google Earth’s “Path” tool.

Simply draw a path over your targeted area and name it.  Then right-click on your new path in the window to the left.  From the list of options that appears, select the “Show Elevation Profile” and let Google work its magic.  Several hours of tedious work is done for you.  Not only do you get the distance, and elevation change, but it will also give you the average slope and maximum slope for your given line.

Likely to show on the Path feature.

Not likely to show on the Path feature.

The Path tool has its limitations.  It won’t tell you if there’s a 40 foot ice bulge, or whether the spot you’re looking at is likely to get wind scoured. But then again, neither did measuring contour lines.

It does, however, give you a rough idea of the steepness of the line.  

While it is impossible to answer whether a given line is skiable until someone actually skis it (or doesn’t ski it), it’s nice to know what you're up against.   For example, it might be nice to know whether you’re looking at something as insanely steep as the Headwall or as “tame” as the Deliverance Glade on Jay Peak before skinning three miles with a beginner level skier to check out the line.

Baldface Variations

I put together a list of some backcountry lines I’ve been pondering recently, as well as some popular ski trails to give you an idea of the relative steepness. 

You’ll note that these slopes are not expressed in degrees.  Given that the purpose of this chart is to provide a comparison to known trails, this is really unnecessary.

In any event, here is the list from the highest Max Slope to the lowest:

Name	Avg. Slope/%	Max Slope/%	Distance/ft	Elev. Loss
Lowell Mt. Slide, NH	59.8	93.4	1631	1029
Whitewall, NH	63.2	87.5	1318	864
The Headwall, Tuckerman's, NH	50.3	87.2	1333	736
Left Gully, Tuckerman's, NH	47.9	84.1	1930	875
Saddle Chute, Mt. Kathadin, ME	43.5	81.1	1802	846
Hillman's Highway, NH	51.1	80.9	2491	1324
Percy Peak North, NH	50	78.6	1285	585
Osceola Slide, NH	51.4	78.3	1104	541
Ammo Ravine, NH	45.3	78	5386	2339
Hunger Mountain, VT	50.4	77.6	1158	595
North Tripyramid Slide, NH	59	77.3	1807	1090
Landslide Gully, NH	56.4	77.2	2904	1705
Mt. Cardigan Snowfields	39.3	76.4	1379	458
Burt Ravine, NH	50.1	75.1	2357	1183
Main Gully, Gulf of Slides, NH	42.9	75.1	2494	1114
The Flume, NH	62	74.9	1392	867
Face Chutes, Jay Peak	56.5	73.9	691	392
The Chute, Tuckerman's, NH	52.5	73.6	1670	860
South Baldface, NH (North Var.)	46.3	73.4	1900	892
Devil's Fiddle, Killington	42.1	72.5	2277	976
Near Cathedral, Mt. Kathadin, ME	41.4	71.7	2904	1220
North Twin Slide	28.1	70.1	5069	1399
Upper Nosedive, Stowe	47.7	68.8	872	424
Upper Goat, Stowe	44.5	68.8	2152	971
South Baldface, NH (South Var.)	37.8	68.7	1833	704
Mt. Magalloway, NH	55.9	66.2	889	508
Lincoln's Chin, Haystack, NH	36.9	62.2	2472	928
Middle Hardscrabble, Cannon	40.7	61.5	1601	618
Deliverance, Jay Peak	47.5	61.2	1137	542
Braintree Gap, VT	15.2	33.5	3062	408

The Whitewall Line

Here it is again, with the highest Average Slope to the lowest:

 

Name	Avg. Slope/%	Max Slope/%	Distance/ft	Elev. Loss
Whitewall, NH	63.2	87.5	1318	864
The Flume, NH	62	74.9	1392	867
Lowell Mt. Slide, NH	59.8	93.4	1631	1029
North Tripyramid Slide, NH	59	77.3	1807	1090
Face Chutes, Jay Peak	56.5	73.9	691	392
Landslide Gully, NH	56.4	77.2	2904	1705
Mt. Magalloway, NH	55.9	66.2	889	508
The Chute, Tuckerman's, NH	52.5	73.6	1670	860
Osceola Slide, NH	51.4	78.3	1104	541
Hillman's Highway, NH	51.1	80.9	2491	1324
Hunger Mountain, VT	50.4	77.6	1158	595
The Headwall, Tuckerman's, NH	50.3	87.2	1333	736
Burt Ravine, NH	50.1	75.1	2357	1183
Percy Peak North, NH	50	78.6	1285	585
Left Gully, Tuckerman's, NH	47.9	84.1	1930	875
Upper Nosedive, Stowe	47.7	68.8	872	424
Deliverance, Jay Peak	47.5	61.2	1137	542
South Baldface, NH (North Var.)	46.3	73.4	1900	892
Ammo Ravine, NH	45.3	78	5386	2339
Upper Goat, Stowe	44.5	68.8	2152	971
Saddle Chute, Mt. Kathadin, ME	43.5	81.1	1802	846
Main Gully, Gulf of Slides, NH	42.9	75.1	2494	1114
Devil's Fiddle, Killington	42.1	72.5	2277	976
Near Cathedral, Mt. Kathadin, ME	41.4	71.7	2904	1220
Middle Hardscrabble, Cannon	40.7	61.5	1601	618
Mt. Cardigan Snowfields	39.3	76.4	1379	458
South Baldface, NH (South Var.)	37.8	68.7	1833	704
Lincoln's Chin, Haystack, NH	36.9	62.2	2472	928
North Twin Slide	28.1	70.1	5069	1399
Braintree Gap, VT	15.2	33.5	3062	408

North Twin

Mt. Magalloway