NewEnglandTrailConditions.com
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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Imp Face, Middle Carter, South Carter, Mt. Hight, Carter Dome, Wildcat A, Wildcat B, Wildcat C, Wildcat D, NH
Trails
Trails: Imp Trail, North Carter Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, ski trails
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, December 4, 2022
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes:  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush, Snow/Ice - Small Patches 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: All rock hoppable, poles were helpful on some of the crossings on the Imp Trail 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Some blowdowns but all were easily navigable  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Imp Trail - We started out in essentially summer trail conditions up until about 2000’, then we started hitting intermittent ice that became unavoidable around 2500’. Imp Face was beautiful, but the trail conditions were very variable from there until the North Carter intersection.

North Carter Trail - conditions remained variable until we gained the ridge. I put my spikes on at around 3500’, this was the point where the snow/ice seemed consistent enough.

Carter-Moriah Trail - the trail turned into a highway once gaining the ridge, and conditions remained good until descending South Carter. There was a lot of ice hidden by a light coating of snow, but it was navigable with spikes. From Zeta Pass up Hight to Carter Dome was decent but there was some significant ice in the final push up Hight. Descending into the notch from Carter Dome was a little sketchy in places but still pretty doable with spikes and poles.

Wildcat Ridge Trail - Carter Notch up to Wildcat A had solid snow cover, there were some avoidable ice flows towards the top but nothing too significant. Wildcat Ridge stayed decent until coming off Wildcat C, which was probably the most unnerving part of the day. There was lots of unavoidable ice but we found we still got some decent traction. The rest of the trail to the summit of Wildcat D had some ice but wasn’t bad.

Polecat - basically a mix of ski area snow, ice, and bare rock. Used spikes on the first half of the decent  
Name
Name: Colin Smith 
E-Mail
E-Mail: colinsmith0427@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2022-12-04 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense.

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