looking for ADK / Mt Marcy info (and/or ski partner for Sunday)

Greetings all - I'm new to this forum, but a longtime lurker and occasional poster at telemarktips, tgr, alpinezone, etc.

Have a free day to ski this coming Sunday near Lake Placid and would be interested in exploring Hoevenberg trail or others near Mt Marcy, putting in from ADK Loj.  I've skied Tuckerman and Thunderbolt a couple of times and found them so well travelled that I'd be comfortable going solo, there are always so many folks heading up and down the same trails.  It's not remote bushwhacking, hardly "backcountry" in the full sense.  

Is the Van Hoevenberg trail similar?  What degree of stupidity in setting off solo for Mt Marcy on a sunny Sunday morning w/o avy gear or partner?  I'd do it with no hesitation at Thunderbolt; at Tuckerman I'd think more and probably avoid the bowl; what about Mt Marcy?

If this is unacceptable risk, I'm fine just riding lifts at Gore or WF -- but thought I'd ask.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Alternatively if anyone is interested in joining up, let me know.  I'll be on tele gear - not a speed demon either up or down but good for an early start and long day.  

I'd be heasitant to go for Marcy solo.  The trail up and down Marcy is skiable, but more like a hiking trail.  It makes the Sherburn trail down from Tuckerman look like a highway.  

Below from David Goodman's book:

Advanced intermediates and experts still head ten miles [16 kilometers] southeast of Lake Placid to tackle Marcy's Van Hoevenberg Trail, a 7.4-mile [12-kilometer] run that descends through a thigh-burning 3,166 vertical feet [965 meters]—the same as that of nearby Whiteface Mountain ski area, which has the biggest drop in the East. The ascent up Marcy starts out relatively flat, then cants more steeply for the final four miles [six kilometers]—a slog as hearty as any in the West. From there, you can get in a few warm-up runs on Marcy's treeless summit cone or troll for hidden powder in the open snowfields of the mountain's north face.

Skiing back down Van Hoevenberg is like singletrack biking on skis. The steep, serpentine trail is less than two ski poles wide in some places—even experienced skiers will take safety falls to avoid crashing.

Along the way are turnouts for secret stashes and natural play parks—and if you've still got juice at the bottom, you can join the hard cores on a high-speed skate to the trailhead.

—David Goodman

The Hoevenberg trail is practically a superhighway, and with appropriate gear is probably the safest trail to go solo in the high peaks.  The trail is a gentle grade pretty much all the way to the summit of Marcy.  There is no danger of avalanches anywhere near the trail.  Have fun!

I love the internet!  Thanks for responding. Obviously two different perspectives above - clearly it'll be narrower than the Sherburne, but if I'm solo, less chance of crashing into a ski partner.  

I agree go and give Marcy a try. Remember its a long long day.

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I was in that area on Sunday (19 March)...... the snow is set-up, hard and crusty!  If the conditions remain the same I would try something less challenging. Perhaps a ski tour into Avalanche Lake.

Burgermeister wrote

I skied up Marcy with freeheeln and another a bunch of years ago. I was on some 175cm Catamounts with pins and leathers. I think we used wax for most of the way and then skins. I remember the top being tight and twisty, and I was glad to have my fat and short xc skis.

I'm pretty sure tons of people blitz up and down that trail on lightweight gear daily, and often solo. You should have  a lot of fun...the scenery is mind blowing and the skiing classic eastern.

Maybe Freeheeln can add some info....

Never sure what's lightweight or fat or short anymore -- I'll be skinning on 174cm K2 Shuksan (i.e., World Pistes with a different topsheet) and 3-buckle Garmont Garas. Doubt that's either the lightest or the fattest on the hill, but good enough for this outing, right?  

adkmike wrote

I was in that area on Sunday (19 March)...... the snow is set-up, hard and crusty!  If the conditions remain the same I would try something less challenging. Perhaps a ski tour into Avalanche Lake.

Thanks, that' s in the Goodman book as well right?  I got the impression it would be more of an XC or XCD venture, not a lot of vertical?  

If you are looking for vertical, Marcy has that.... I skinned up Marcy on the 13th of March.... the conditions were ok.....there is a rut in the trail from snowshoers that is about 10 to 12 inches deep by 24 inches wide which made the skiing down a little difficult. Keep in mind that the trail is very narrow and that rut made it even more so. I was back in that area on the 19th and didn't attempt Marcy because the snow conditions. The snow conditions will dictate where you will ski...... just keep an open mind and ski what the conditions give you. Hope this helps?

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adkmike wrote

 The snow conditions will dictate where you will ski...... just keep an open mind and ski what the conditions give you. Hope this helps?

Absolutely.  Sounds like this is potentially a good option but only an option. Could also be really fun to ski spring bumps at WF or Gore and get in lots more vert but I'll be doing that for sure later on.  This is the one shot at skinning -- but I know a lot of unhappy stories that start out with sticking to the plan.

Kman's advice about skiing solo in the High Peaks in the winter is well worth considering, however I would say that the Marcy and Avalanche Pass trails are very well traveled on the weekends and would be good choices for a solo trip assuming you are an experienced winter outdoorsperson.  I have done them solo a number of times and they are excellent adventures.  Make sure that you sign in and out at the trailhead, and that someone at home is aware of your route and when you should be off the trail.  Do not rely on a cell phone in the backcountry for help.
If you want to use your climbing skins consider a trip up the Whiteface auto road.  It's a steady climb up and a long glide down with outstanding views.  Make sure to make the final climb from the castle at the end of the auto road up to the summit.  This is also well traveled on weekends and should be a safe choice for a solo trip.
You can check on current conditions here and here.
If you go, take a bunch of pics and report back with a TR.

This will give you an idea of how narrow the trail is for much of the way. I would expect lots of icy spots unless there's much new snow this week.

Adk Jeff wrote

Kman's advice about skiing solo in the High Peaks in the winter is well worth considering, however I would say that the Marcy and Avalanche Pass trails are very well traveled on the weekends and would be good choices for a solo trip assuming you are an experienced winter outdoorsperson.  I have done them solo a number of times and they are excellent adventures.  Make sure that you sign in and out at the trailhead, and that someone at home is aware of your route and when you should be off the trail.  Do not rely on a cell phone in the backcountry for help.
If you want to use your climbing skins consider a trip up the Whiteface auto road.  It's a steady climb up and a long glide down with outstanding views.  Make sure to make the final climb from the castle at the end of the auto road up to the summit.  This is also well traveled on weekends and should be a safe choice for a solo trip.
You can check on current conditions here and here.
If you go, take a bunch of pics and report back with a TR.

Thanks for all this info - and a little clicking brought me to the WF Auto Road / Mt. Esther trip report on your blog, worth the proverbial 1000 words.  I think if I'm skinning I'll do Marcy b/c I'd be wanting to ski steeps at WF too much if I were that close on the gently graded road.  And also, I'll have several family members quite near Van Hoevenberg trailhead that day, which goes to your safety points, which are understood but appreciated.   I'd always sign in and out, and I carry an FRS radio with new batteries and spares, tuned to 9-11.  

My favorite "don't rely on cell phone" story was about an unfortunate couple who froze to death in a ditch somewhere off the northway about 8 or 10 years ago when their car ran out of gas.  A radio news reporter down in NYC area explained they froze "because there was no cell phone reception."  It had nothing to do with the lack of clothing, blankets, or fuel.

Having seen your blog I don't think I'm capable of what you'd consider a proper TR but I'll give it a shot.

Thanks for the video.  If a picture's worth 1000 words that has got to be 100,000.  

ts01 wrote

Having seen your blog I don't think I'm capable of what you'd consider a proper TR but I'll give it a shot.

A far as I'm concerned the rules for a proper TR are pretty minimal.  I'd like the name of the mountain(s) and the date(s) skied to be included in the post's title. This makes the Forum easier to search with the search feature, and makes browsing easier for others.

Other than that ... pictures and some kind of story line are nice bonuses are nice but certainly not required.

I admit that I'm curious about how your day turns out.

Here is a look at the conditions on 19 March as we skied into lake Colden via Marcy Dam.

I need to go out a buy a touring rig. The Video was great and I love the lounge music...

Had to watch with the soundtrack off but that video looked nice.  Sunday's shaping up sunny and clear so this is looking good.

It looks fun to be a pinball on the narrow trails and there'll certainly be lots of that.  But aren't there some open snowfields on the peak of Marcy?  (That's what I recall from the Goodman book at least, and from hiking up in the summer about ten years back.)  What's it like up there?   NOAA's predicting a sunny day in the 20's, no precip.