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Witch's Hat

Stowe

A fun little freeride zone in the shadow of The Nose.

Freeride Skiing Difficult

Distance
180 m
Ascent
3 m
Descent
46 m
Low Point
1.1 km
High Point
1.2 km
Gradient
31˚
Witch's Hat Map

Witches Hat is a jumble of boulders and trees below the cliffs of The Nose. These boulders have tumbled down from the cliffs above. When the snow is deep, this zone offers above tree line skiing and pillow lines, similar to the Rock Garden. Approach via the Auto Road, once you are directly underneath this area, you can begin hiking or skinning up. There are countless ways to hit this area, the most popular of which involves a tight Chute starting from the very top of Witches Hat. This zone gets its name because of its steep triangular shape. Since it starts at a point and gets wider on the way down, there are lots of opportunities for various. This is one of those zones you can lap many times before exiting back down the Auto Road. Be aware that this area is considered avalanche terrain, while large avalanches are very unlikely, small isolated slough slides are possible. Ski with caution!

Difficulty

Difficult

Serious gradient of 30-38 degrees where a real risk of slipping exists.

Medium Exposure (E2)

2 out of 4

As well as the slope itself, there are some obstacles (such as rock outcrops) which could aggravate injury.

Remoteness

2 out of 4

Away from help but easily accessed.

Best time to visit

between February and April

Features

  • Face
  • Trees
  • Cliffs
  • Couloir
  • Walk Required

Equipment required

  • Skins

Similar routes nearby

Guidebooks in this area