Ski touring Mount Elma
By Ross Collicutt
The sun reflected off the snow and made it difficult to see without sunglasses as we drove into the parking lot at Mount Washington Raven Lodge. The Raven Lodge is usually home base for cross-country skiers and snowshoers looking to make their rounds on the groomed trails in Paradise Meadows.
But we weren't there to snowshoe or cross-country ski.
Our target for the day was Mount Elma. We were ready to scale her snowy slopes with our backcountry ski touring gear. Backcountry skis are a bit like cross-country skis in that they prevent you from sliding backwards when travelling uphill. The skis have sticky hair strips on the bottom to grip the snow, allowing you to walk up a hill with your heel free before removing the strips or skins, clipping in your heel and skiing down. These skis are the perfect mode of transportation for summiting and descending Mount Elma.