I was excited to be staying in Jackson after hiking up to watch the Inferno Race. I brought both pairs of xc skies. But, when I got to Jackson most of the trails had already melted. Many of them were already dirt paths.

There were some broken trails here and there but nothing that resembled any fun. So I decided to take a ride up Carter Notch Road and see what the conditions were up there. I was happy to see they were open and had plenty of snow on them. 

The next morning I got up and bought myself a ticket then headed up the notch. Once I parked I grabbed my Fisher S-bounds and headed out. Conditions were very different in the sun and in the shade. 

Date:03-21-2021
Location:Jackson, NH
Distance:2.5 mi
Fee/Pass$24
Elevation Gain:70′
Total Time:2 hr 0 min
Parking:10+ cars
Difficultly Rating:Easy/Moderate
Cross Country Ski trail
Carter Notch Ski Trail in Jackson, NH

In the shade it was more like ice and in the sun it was soft granular snow. One was fast and the other was slow. 

I explored a few miles of green curser trails. As the sun got higher in the sky the skiing became much better. I stayed out for about an hour and a half and then headed back. I wanted to try my other skies out down in some of the flatter fields. 

When I got to the lower parking, the lot was full of mud. I grabbed the thinner classic skis a friend of mine let me try and walked over to the snow covered trail. I roamed for a few fields till I came across a trail closed sign.

The snow is melting fast on the fields in Carter Notch.

I thought to my self, this is it. End of the season. So I took my time getting back to the car and packed in my skis for the year. It was a really good year and I was happy for all the time I got to spend on my skies. 

Till next year.


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