Mount Monroe

Trail: Base Road, Ammonoosuc Link, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop

Conditions: Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Spring Snow

“Traction devices are very much dealers choice on best personal comfort pick. I wore snowshoes from the top of the Cog lot back down to hiker parking and felt pretty good. George swapped to crampons at the hut and wore them up summits and back down a little ways past the gem pool. Mix of very crusty flows, hard granular, and soft spring snow in the sun. Minor areas of drifting in the high shrub up to the hut near the headwall, its only slightly braided and mostly follows the cairns. There is one very short very sketchy spot on Monroe and medium amounts of really crusty hard ice flows on the way up Crawford Path. Started to get sticky and slightly suncupped in the big snowfields on the summit cone. Ammo down is in really good shape and a nice mix of grippy packed granular. Also zero bum touches and the perfect presi summit winter alpine zone day. Ample sunbathing and incredibly balmy on the summit. Stayed in base layers all day :)”

Trail: Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Monroe Loop, Crawford Path, Cog Path, Westside, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Jewell Trail

Conditions: Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Drifts

“Snowshoes or light traction below treeline, light traction above. I wore spikes door to door. Ammo was a packed highway 99% of the way, this will change after tomorrow's snow, so bring snowshoes. Above the hut to Monroe; a little icy to the Monroe Loop, then dust on crust to the summit, easy going. Crawford Path to Mount Washington summit was hard-packed snow with some very minor drifts, simple to scoot up in spikes. From Washington, I hiked right next to the tracks until Westside, where I picked up Gulfside, crusty snow on the immediate right or left of the tracks, but ice covering a good portion of the swath. Gulfside and Jefferson Loop were a mix of hard-packed snow, rocks, minor drifting, and easily avoidable ice. Jewell Trail, was packed but soft where it missed a switchback above treeline. Below treeline, it's packed and in great shape. Beautiful day above treeline; no wind, abundant sunshine, and incredible visibility. Sarge had a blast rolling around in the snow and eating it. Plenty of happy Gridiots out and about taking advantage of beach day conditions :)”

Trail: Ammonoosuc Link, Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail, Crawford Path, Monroe Loop

Conditions: Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Postholes

“Trail got foggier and foggier up to the hut, and there was about 10 feet or less visibility past the hut. I couldn't see more than one cairn at a time, and when I could see no cairns and the tracks I was following ended (about halfway up the final steep bit of the summit loop) I decided to quit while I was ahead!”