Proof that anything is skiable with enough rope work, Shoestring Gully is known best for being a popular ice climbing objective. While it’s mostly snow, the line is broken up by about 4-5 WI2 ice steps. Despite the amount of shenanigans it will likely require, this is one of the most aesthetic ski lines in The White Mountains and, how can you pass up seeing the look all those ice climbers will give you when you drop in on skis! Park as for Webster Cliff Trail and skin across the bridge to a junction with Saco River Trail. Skin along until you find a faint drainage that climbs steeply up the mountain. Hopefully some ice climbers have packed it out for you, otherwise get ready to wallow. A long, Boulder filled runout makes for incredibly technical skinning. Start boot packing when it feels necessary. The bottom of the gully is sometimes guarded by a 10 foot ice bulge, however this can also be completely buried in snow during a deep year. The line becomes a little more alpine, with orangey-brown rock walls forming a couloir, and various ice steps requiring technical climbing. Once above the last ice bulge, stay left for the “snow finish” of Shoestring Gully. Top out in the trees and transition to skiing. Very steep and incredibly narrow turns in tips to tails terrain, take you down the snow finish of Shoestring into the meat of the line, the first ice bulge is hard to access from above. Taking the skis off here and down climbing can be necessary to access V-thread-able ice. Make a short rappel, make another couple turns above the next nice bulge, another V-Thread rappel takes you into a longer section of skiing. One more section of rock and ice may require a downclimb or could be side slippable in certain conditions. A few more turns take you to a constriction. This can sometimes require one more rappel or a small air, but can also form all snow. At long last, ski consistent turns down the long runout. Enjoy them while they last, because what the bottom lacks in rope work, it makes up for in rocks. Tree not to obliterate your bases in the boulder field, as you descend the final stretch into the trees. Take a breathe, count your core shots and skin back to your car. Now wasn’t that so much better than powder skiing in Jay Pass?