| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Madison, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Airline, Airline Cutoff, Osgood, Valley Way |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, January 11, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Seven cars in Appalachia when we started, more when we finished, plenty of space. Well plowed! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction, Ice Axe |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
A few exposed down low on Airline but easily rock hoppable |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
4-5 blowdowns on Airline causing detours, including 2-3 in first mile. A few on Valley Way. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
We took Airline to Airline Cutoff tagged Madison and descended Valley Way. We wore spikes door-to-door but carried ice axes, crampons, and snowshoes, which might make sense if trail conditions evolve slightly.
Airline got a lot of action yesterday and was well-broken even after Saturday’s snow. It seems most folks at Appalachia when we started headed that way. There were a few drifter spots above the Scar jct, but the trail was otherwise firm even in spikes. There was some large ice around 3000ft. We saw fairly recent tracks from full crampons but this section felt manageable without axe/crampons due to the dusting of snow and interspersed flat steps.
No one had been through Airline Cutoff in a while. We would have had an easier time in snowshoes but opted to keep spikes on since it was such a short section and will get drifted in quickly. Even without blazes/broken trail, this was fairly easy to follow. We diverted at the end to pop out on some wind scoured snow instead of pushing through more trees and knee-deep snow.
Osgood to Madison glaze ice, ice underneath a few inches of fairly loose snow, bare rock, and packed snow. The amount of ice (enough to be annoying but not to want crampons) made for slow going. An axe could be handy but we were happy with poles.
Valley Way had few bits of ice and flowing water over ice but generally easy breezy and uneventful. |
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 | Name: |
cmehike |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-01-12 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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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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