Coppermine Brook Valley: 3/13/23

Spent an interesting day in the beautiful Coppermine Brook valley on the west side of Cannon Mountain. After a spike hike up the Coppermine Trail to the icy amphitheatre of Bridal Veil Falls, I strapped on the snowshoes and followed an old ski trail partway up the valley beyond the falls, then bushwhacked to a slide on the flank of the Cannon Balls. On the way down from a partial ascent of the slide, I got to watch a trio of backcountry skiers swoop down the snowy swath.

This sign is a half mile or so in from the trailhead, after the initial road walk. The mileages given are from the trailhead.

Easy walking through nice hemlock forest.

Coppermine Brook, muffled in March.

Farther up the valley the trail ascends through a gorgeous hardwood forest.

Bridge over Coppermine Brook.

Coppermine Shelter, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. A nice destination for an easy backpack, but note that there is no privy and there are no adjacent tent sites.

Approaching the falls, which are much more accessible in winter when the slippery ledges are buried in snow.

In winter, the cliffs around the falls are nature's version of the Ice Castles.

 

The frozen falls.

Layer upon layer.

Ice cave.

Up close.

I backtracked down the trail a short distance and headed up the first steep pitch of the historic Coppermine Ski Trail, then bushwhacked through open woods to rejoin the trail farther up.

This trail was cut by the CCC in the 1930s as a route from Cannon Mountain down to the valley in Franconia. It has not been officially maintained for many years, but sees some use from backcountry skiers. There were ski tracks this day, and wherever feasible I made my own track alongside them.

In a few places there was also evidence of an old snowshoe track.

Farther up the valley I briefly followed a diverging ski track. I guessed that it came from the bottom of the slide. I preferred to make my own route through the beautiful glades of the upper valley.

 

The powder was deep and heavy, mandating a slow pace.

 

An area reminiscent of The Kilkenny in the northern Whites.

A careful crossing of a crevassed minor drainage.

Hobblebush thrives in some areas.

Good snowpack out here.When the state of NH was planning to open a ski area on Cannon in the 1930s, legendary ski area designer Sel Hannah lobbied for the trails to be built here on the west side of the mountain, where the snow typically piles deeply.

On the way to the slide I crossed this beautiful bowl-like glade.

There's the slide! I came onto it a little high and had to drop down to the base.

 

As expected, there were curving ski tracks carved into the snow.

I first visited this slide in 2008 with John "1HappyHiker" Compton after we spotted it from a ledge across the valley.

With avalanche danger rated low across the board by the Mt. Washington Avalanche Center, and fresh ski tracks in the snow, I headed up the first pitch of the slide towards an ice bulge that skiers had launched from.

The snowpack was as deep on the slide as it was in the woods, but it was more stable and consolidated.

The steep grade necessitated a climb by switchbacks.

A close look at the ice bulge. Time for a detour through the woods.

Side view from the trees.

Back on the slide above the bulge, I aimed to reach the top of a small ledge band in sight above.

This wide part of the slide offered good views out to peaks in northern Vermont beyond a nearby spur of Mittersill Peak.

 

Approaching the ledge band.

 

Another detour through the woods, steep and deep with spruce traps.

 

Once above the ledge band I could see the upper part of the slide. It was tempting to continue up, but with snow predicted for the evening I didn't want to get out too late.

 

Looking down where a skier caught some air off the ledge band.

 

 As I was descending below the ledge band, I heard whooping from above. I hustled over to the edge as three skiers came ripping down the slide. This guy caught a little air off the ledge band...

...and cruised down the pitch below.

Yee-hah!

They were down in a flash.

Time to head for home.