North & Middle Tripyramids
North Slide - South Slide
January 21, 2010
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When Tom asked if I wanted to hike the Tripyramids with him for the Winter list, I responded - sure how about via the slides. Neither of us knew of anybody who had done that before, so the plan was set in motion.
We were joined by Steve, Jeff, and Zach for what turned out to be one of the best Winter hikes we have done. We met at the Livermore Road parking lot and were on our way at 9 AM.
We quickly made our way up Livermore Rd to the start of the trail uner blue skies, warm temps, and no wind. There were no signs that anybody had been on the trail recently, so off we went with Jeff in the lead as we made our way to the base of the slide.
Here the pitch got stepper as we started up the slide in 2 - 3 feet of unbroken snow. The going was slow as the slide is narrow at the bottom as it follows a stream bed. Zach and I took turns at the lead along with Jeff as we climbed higher where the slide opens up allowing for some switchbacks in our course rather than going straight up the middle.
We found some relief from the deep snow near some of the large rocks that were just barely covered by a layer of ice which gave us good traction for our snowshoes. No need for crampons today - way too much deep snow.
We topped out of the slide and made our way to the summit. After a short break we headed over to Middle peak. The trail was broken out from the intersection of Sabaday Brook trail to the summit. After a stop for lunch we continued on the now unbroken trail to the South peak and the South slide.
The trail drops steeply into the slide - almost a chute that we glisladed down into the main slide. Here we found bright sunshine and deep soft snow that was just sticky enough to make snowballs - so we had a snowball fight.
Glislading down the slide made for a fun and quick descent for all. The next time a conversation is started about the best place to slide, we know where to send people for some non-stop fun.
Directions to Trailhead
Take exit 28 off I-93. Turn east on Rt.49 and travel around 11 miles to Waterville Valley. Turn left onto Tripoli Rd. After 1.2 miles bear right at the intersection with the ski area entrance leaving the main road to the Ski Area. For the parking area, follow signs to Camp Depot and Livermore Rd. and cross the bridge. The parking area is just beyond the bridge on the left
Length of Hike:
9:15 hours
11:00 miles
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