Central Gully

Central is a line that immediately catches your eye when you look at Huntington Ravine. it's deep, confining walls look more like a high sierra couloir than something you’d find in New Hampshire. Between it's aesthetic beauty and committing skiing, it's a prize line in the Whites. The easiest approach is to climb from the bottom, though this may require technical ice climbing in some years. The line narrows the higher you go, until it is chocked out by rocks. In some years a small side slip entrance forms, allowing you to put skis on in the flats of the alpine garden. The line starts with tight turns that progressively get steeper and more roomy the more you descend. About half way down, an ice bulge forms, choking out the line. This can be snow covered in big years or up to 20 feet in lean years. Most seasons it's just a few feet, but with the steep angle of the runout and the hundreds of sharp boulders looming below, making that commitment turn can be a heart pumper. Slide the ice bulge and use the available space below to check your speed. You can skirt the boulder field below to the right or the left, both offer open and fun skiing. Central is a line filled with uncertainty, and the best time to ski it isn’t always obvious. Wait too long into the spring and you deal with a bigger ice bulge, go too early and you can risk a long sliding fall down hard windboard with serious consequences waiting in the boulders below. Either way, your party should be confident dropping ice bulges in steep terrain. In lean years, a rope may be necessary for both ascending and descending.