Sometimes Nature Decides for You

Sometimes Nature Decides for You

Tim Peck
Ski

I reply sourly, “IDK.” Sure, I have plenty of ideas, but at the time I was having difficulty mustering enthusiasm for any of them. It feels wrong to hike when skiing is still an option, but I don’t feel like skinning at the resort and I’m terrified of the dust-on-crust lurking in the backcountry. On the other hand, I’m stoked to boulder but I would like to spend some time in the mountains. Doug and I trade texts back and forth, him with ambitious plans, and me shitting all over them; too icy, too far away, and I think it will suck represent only a few of my bitter responses that day.

Call It A Great Day on Franconia Ridge

Call It A Great Day on Franconia Ridge

Tim Peck
Hike

Epic views, an exposed ridge, and tagging the summits of two of New Hampshire’s 48 4,000-footers always makes a hike across Franconia Ridge a worthwhile endeavor. Throw in good friends, great weather, a pre-hike breakfast of biscuits and gravy from Sunny Day Diner, and icy cold Moat Mountain Brewing Call It A Day Double IPAs waiting in the car, and it might have been one of my best hiking trips in recent memory.

Mount Moosilauke Ski Gear List

Mount Moosilauke Ski Gear List

Tim Peck
Ski, Gear Lists

Moosilauke is often one of the first places that newer backcountry skiers visit. And, if they are like us, they will keep being drawn back by the more than five-mile long descent and above-treeline terrain. While there are plenty of places to get beta on the trip—like this article Tim wrote for goEast—we thought a detailed gear list would be an interesting, informative, and helpful companion. So here it is.

Skiing On Moose’s Carriage Road

Skiing On Moose’s Carriage Road

Tim Peck
Ski

Our ski day on Moosilauke was pretty special, but overshadowing the day is this whole month. “Miracle March” has given us one of the best ski months in recent memory and helped salvage an otherwise disappointing ski season.

Ski Season Comes Back to Cardigan

Ski Season Comes Back to Cardigan

Tim Peck
Ski

Although Cardigan isn’t the loftiest of goals, nor does it present the most challenging terrain, we found plenty of fresh snow, good turns, and managed to duck the crowds for most of the day. It even got me stoked on skiing again!

Mount Washington Gear List

Mount Washington Gear List

Tim Peck
Gear Lists

Summiting Mount Washington via the Lions Head is a trip up one of New England’s iconic mountains via one of the region’s most classic routes. In preparation for an upcoming article for goEast, we recently revisited this classic climb. To coordinate our packing, we found ourselves typing out a checklist for personal and group gear. Although extraneous to the article, the list is interesting and informative. 

Surf Station Winter 2018

Surf Station Winter 2018

Tim Peck
Surf Station

It’s been a busy several weeks. On goEast, we co-authored four more pieces—covering tips for getting ready for backcountry ski season, outdoor podcasts to keep you entertained during the drive to the mountains, 52 goEast trips to help turn your outdoor-themed New Years resolution into a reality, and guidelines for when its time to replace biking, climbing, and hiking equipment—as well as the Alpha Guide to Shoestring Gully (the best moderate ice climb in New Hampshire).

The Best and Worst of Ski Season

The Best and Worst of Ski Season

Tim Peck
Ski

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. After the start of a ski season that fluctuated somewhere between uneventful and blah thanks to an unseasonably warm stretch of weather, the snow finally arrived. However, with the snow also came record-low temperatures that tempered any enthusiasm for sliding on snow with biting cold.

My Worst Hike Ever

My Worst Hike Ever

Doug Martland
Hike

Everest Woman is responsible for my worst hike ever: a December 2007 ascent of the Hancocks in the White Mountains. To this day I have not forgiven her. I was cold. So cold. This is the story.

Frigid Fun on Mount Tecumseh

Frigid Fun on Mount Tecumseh

Tim Peck
Ski

Looking to break the cycle and to start the new year off by doing something active and outdoors—sorry, treadmill and climbing gym—I headed to Mount Tecumseh on New Year’s day with Doug, my wife, and the intention of skinning to the summit of a 4,000-footer and skiing down the adjacent Waterville Valley Resort.

Tips for Becoming a Skinning Star

Tips for Becoming a Skinning Star

Doug Martland
Ski, Outdoor Tips

When most people think of backcountry skiing, their minds turn to flying down a backcountry bowl or gliding through glades; but, the truth is, self-powered skiers spend far more time going uphill than down. To make the most of your time spent going uphill—and to hopefully spend a little less time doing so—follow these tips to become a skin track superstar.

Book Report: On the Nose

Book Report: On the Nose

Tim Peck
Book Reports

On the Nose gives a good account of Florine’s ascent from a Yosemite wannabe, who bailed only a few pitches up the Nose on his first attempt, to the modern day guru of how to climb the route fast. It’s through early accounts of his experiences on the route that the reader can see Florine’s passion for the Nose grow. It’s also interesting to watch Florine’s dedication, systems, and strategy grow with each successive trip up the Nose.

Weather or Not It’s Worth It

Weather or Not It’s Worth It

Tim Peck
Hike

The awkward transitional time that happens as fall gives way to winter often leaves me searching for motivation. With not enough snow to ski and not enough ice to climb—at least for mortals like me—my adventures in the Whites are typically relegated to hiking. Lacking the speed of skiing and the excitement of ice climbing, at times I find myself asking is the drive for hiking worth it?

Some Days in the Mountains You Just Don’t Want to End

Some Days in the Mountains You Just Don’t Want to End

Tim Peck
Hike

So often our trips to the mountains are focused on squeezing in multiple objectives, doing something in a fast time, or just moving quickly in order to get back home to our never-ending lists of other commitments. On this day, however, we chose to linger. To make conversation with other hikers. To bask on a sunny slab on Pierce’s flanks because days like this are few and deserve to be cherished.

Book Report: Alpine Warriors

Book Report: Alpine Warriors

Tim Peck
Book Reports

Alpine Warriors follows the rise of Slovenian alpinism, mostly focused on their achievements in the Himalaya, following it from its rise in the 1960s and into today. Holding the book together are passages pulled from the pages of another book—Pot—authored by the iconic Slovenian alpinist Nejc Zaplotnik. Pot, meaning the way, has served as a bible for generations of Slovenian alpinists and been a defining work for generations fo climbers.