Dan Corn and Jim Surette have skied the snow-covered granite slabs of Whitehorse Ledge in North Conway, New Hampshire, making two short rappels to bypass unskiable ice. The two mostly followed the line of Standard Route (5.5), rappelling through ice-covered overlaps midway down the 1,000-foot slabs. Near the big arch that defines Standard Route’s lower section, they belayed as the first skier tested the snow for dangerous wind slab by an obvious crown line. When nothing slid, they both continued to the base. 

Surette has skied this line on Whitehorse twice before, the first time with Doug Madara four or five winters ago. "Lots of people have skied Whitehorse way to skier's left, partly in the trees, but as far as I know, only I and the people I've done it with have skied this line," he said.

Could the route be skied without rappels? "I definitely think so," Surette said. "I've never seen it in that kind of condition, but if you had a perfect snowpack, someone like Chris Davenport could just launch right off those overlaps. The problem is, if you have that much snow it tends to avalanche."

See more photos at Anneskidmore.blogspot.com. 

Date of Descent: January 5, 2008 

Source: Anne Skidmore

Comment on this story