TRIP REPORT: Skinning The Pike Glades – Feb 22, 2025 – by Ham Mehlman

Gathering for guidance

The email from Nik Fiore, the AMC ski leader for the day, read “The Pike Glade ski trip is ON for Saturday!”  The NH weather gods were finally treating ski enthusiasts to enough snow and cold weather for us to play on our boards in the woods on natural flakes. Nik’s destination was The Pike Glades in Pike, NH. Per The Pike Glades website (https://thepikeglades.com): “The Pike Glades are a collection of Northeast facing glades accessible by ski touring, splitboarding, or snowshoeing. Our peak summits above tree-line at 2200′ and our base area is located at 700′. Whether you are an expert or a beginner, we know you will be thrilled by the quality and beauty of our location. The Pike Glades descend Iron Mountain, a 2,053-foot peak owned by the Wolter family since 1976 and part of the Innstead Mountain Getaway –  https://theinnsteadgetaway.com. By backcountry standards it is a luxury experience: “Warming huts at the mid-mountain and the summit provide a great escape from the elements on those particularly cold days, and the views of Mt. Moosilauke, the Oliverian Cliffs, and the White Mountains never disappoint.”

The skinning (Alpine Touring) terrain itself was developed by the Granite Backcountry Alliance  (GBA) –https://granitebackcountryalliance.org. Since 2016 GBA has led the development (and in some cases redevelopment) of backcountry terrain for the rapidly emerging Alpine Touring (AT) community. Per the GBA website, “While backcountry skiing’s resurgence has captivated a new user base, it is also now a measurable, undeniable force in the industry and is the fastest growing segment of the sport. The demand is strong but the terrain in New Hampshire and Western Maine is limited by the tree density, glade supply, and legal access to the forests and mountains. GBA resolves to improve the playing field for backcountry skiers.” The Pike is one of 11 GBA properties in the growing GBA portfolio along with restoring a number of CCC trails first cut in the 1930’s such as the Gulf of Slides trail on Mt. Washington and the Black Mountain Ski Trail in Jackson, NH.

Nik’s early forecast is for, “a beautiful day. Temps in the mid 20s, partly sunny, little wind.” That was Wednesday.  At 5:00 am on Saturday, expedition day, the Mt. Washington Observatory’s “Higher Summits Forecast”  was a bit more foreboding:

• In and out of clouds early, then trending towards in the clear under mostly sunny skies –
• High: Starting around the upper single digits below, the rising to mid-single digits above;
• Wind: NW shifting to W at 55-75mph with gusts up to 90mph early, 45-60 midday, then 35,50 mph with gusts to 65 mph later;
• Wind Chill: 35 below to 45 below early, rising to 20 below to 30 below later. Like the sun but a bit chilly and windy as it has been all winter.

Good day to recreate at a lower altitude. And those warming huts are sounding more like a necessity than a luxury.

As seven of us gathered in the parking lot off the Mt. Moosilauke highway at 9:00 am (more or less) there was still a sharp nip to the air.  Still, we dressed lightly knowing we soon would be sweating a 1,300-foot climb.  We headed up the Joan Wolter trail, a 3-mile shlep along a shoulder of Iron Mountain.  The grade is moderate but consistent. Nik led setting a manageable pace clearly hoping to avoid rest stops and the consequent cooling.  After all, he advertised the trip of “advanced” and well-conditioned skiers (all relative terms).   Marty Janoschek brought up the rear to collect any stragglers.  Marty “has been a ski instructor at Cardigan since 2009 and an (AMC) ski leader since 2010” and has honed his colorful sense of humor over decades of outdoor experiences. I learned the hard way to be careful with my conversation.

Between working out over the hour and half hour ascent and the sun warming the early cold air we had shed most of our layers by the time we reached the Shire Cabin tucked under the brow of the summit.  The sun popped out with an angle hinting of spring around the corner. The rounded crown of Mt Moosilauke gleamed white in the distance.

The summit hut was a popular spot on this day.  GBA was hosting a large crew for a session on outdoor rescue and multiple other skinners apparently decided to take advantage of some of the best lower altitude snow conditions in years.

The Pike Glades map routes five runs of various lengths off the top.  Nik chose Wazza’s glade.  Per GBA, Wazza glade is cut with “technical, steeper turns”  and drops about 700 feet to The Warrier’s Cabin.

Nik’s scouting report for the trip was, “I skied it last Saturday and coverage is good but there are a few sharks lurking about.”  Sharks? Definition of a “shark” to an AT skier:  Rock or Wooden trunk or branch hazards lurking beneath the snow surface ready to snag a burrowing ski or rap a lower limb.  Ok, so a little caution on untracked lines.  Marty seemed particularly tasty to the sharks.  The first bit him not 20 feet off the top.

Marty battling the sharks

At the Warrier’s Cabin we learned a bit more about the Innstead Mountain Getaway from Bill who, along with his wife, has been developing and operating the property, and the sponsor of the Glades, since 2013.  Bill’s job of the moment, digging out the parking area with a shovel.

The way home was up and over the summit again, another 700-foot climb bringing our total vertical for the day to 2,000 ft. equivalent to climbing Cannon, Loon or Wildcat, a respectable sweat.

So far Nik was batting “1,000” as lead guide.  And it looked like we would make it back to the parking lot with nary a misstep.  But at some point, the glades off the ridge must have just looked too inviting and, after navigating some dense bushery, we wound up back down on the access road to the Warrier’s cabin.  AT skiing is all about improvisation…

A well deserved apres ski refreshment