Noah's Adventures

As I kicked steps into the steep pitch of sugary snow, I took a second to take in my surroundings. It was almost hard to believe I was in Vermont—here I was in a steep gully bounded by rock and ice on either side. Cooper charged up ahead of me, knocking slush down towards my face. We stood on a small, wooded ridge that separated two slide paths, both of us grabbing ahold of tree branches along the way for better purchase. 

The night prior, I had done some hasty research to find beta on the route. Using the trusted source of YouTube, I watched some clips of the Smuggler’s Notch backcountry, and was able to triangulate the position of some potential lines using google maps.

Our day started with a bang—or at least it almost did, when Cooper nearly backed into a car holding a disgruntled family of four. Close shave behind us, we parked as high as the Notch Road would allow. As we booted up on the side of the road, the smell of a barbeque wafted our way, accompanied by laughter and high spirits. We ended up chatting with the group, talking about each of our days. Inspired by our backcountry adventure, they cooked up some hot dogs for us. 

Sun shining bright, we tucked into the wooded, snow-covered road towards the top of the Notch. It was a special feeling, following the route I had planned the night before. After about one-and-a-half miles of relatively flat skinning, we reached a large clearing. All around us, steep, rugged rock cliffs jutted from the ground. It was a true playground, and a popular one. We were surrounded by ice climbers, hikers, and fellow backcountry skiers.

Finding the right gully to ski proved to be a challenge. My original route dead-ended in a cliff band, so we skied down the Stowe side of the road a quarter mile. At last, we spied a long, slim gully extending up the mountain. We spotted a skin track and set off for the top. 

What began as a switch-backing skin track turned into a steep bootpack. We followed a narrow slide path between the trees, kicking footholds into the Styrofoam-like snow. As we climbed higher, the sun began to affect the snow. Dry, consolidated snowpack turned to slushy corn.

Ahead of us, a thirty-foot-tall frozen waterfall blocked our path. We meandered to the right, scaling a steep ridge. To our right, a narrow, steep gully beckoned us higher. As we approached the upper section of the gully, we met Brad, a skier from British Columbia who was dropping into the line.

Behind us, another skier approached, eager to break trail and push higher up the gully. Despite the deep, cumbersome bootpack that awaited, he charged ahead. We joked that he could lead the climb, so long as we got first tracks. 

After a frustratingly crumbly booter, we topped out on the chute. We sat for a few moments in the shade, ripping skins and talking with our new pal, Sam. Sam works as a local guide, leading ice climbing and backcountry skiing trips.

After debating who would drop first, Cooper set off down the gully. After the path was clear, I dropped in. The line was undoubtably the steepest thing I’d skied in the East, however the snow was less than ideal. Consolidated snowfall from a couple days prior had formed a wind crust, and with each hop turn, my skis sunk in. It was by no means my cleanest skiing, but for sure was a good technical challenge. 

We waited up for Sam at the base of the upper gully, then linked a series of turns between the alleyway of trees that lined both sides of the gully. Sam decided to call it a day, but we were hungry for more. We set off up an adjacent gully, this one narrower and steeper than the first. As we climbed higher, another frozen cascade of water forced us onto a ridge.

From our elevated position on the ridge, the snow quality deteriorated, so we decided to call it there and point our skis downhill. The ride down the gully was a blast; I stayed on Cooper’s tails and slashed tight turns down the fall line, through a narrow rock gap, and out into the lower open section.

With that, our first foray into the Smugg’s backcountry came to a close. As we skied lazily down the Notch Road towards the car, I reflected on the incredible terrain we had just discovered. It felt like another world, and here it was in our backyard. The only thing left to do now is to wait for another powder day at the Notch.