Skiing Maine's Katahdin - March 2007
As a teenager, while paddling in the shadow of this wild and beautiful mountain, I often dreamt of climbing and skiing Katahdin. In 1998, in the midst of a three day snowstorm, I slid around the forested flanks of mighty Katahdin, steering clear of avalanche paths and doing my best to keep the frost bite at bay. Although I did venture into Katahdin's alpine wonderland, I barely scratched the surface.
Last spring, along with Emily and our good friends Heidi Gleissman and Ian Forgays, I was able to return to Katahdin during a five day window of beautiful weather and skier-friendly snow conditions. By day, air temperatures warmed just enough to allow the snowpack (recently crusted by a freezing-rain event) to soften up on the most solar aspects. By night, the stars filled the sky beyond all imagination, and we slept like babies.
After the trip. we published a 4-page story about our adventures on Katahdin in the Jan 2008 issue of Backcountry Magazine. We have also weaved many images and stories from the trip into a new and evolving multi-media show entitled "Off Piste in the Northeast", which is now featured in our ongoing Wild People, Wild Places program. Stay tuned for some links to our stories...and enjoy the images below.
-Brian
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