Also known as: North Slide, North Tripyramid, North Tripyramid Slide
The North Slide of Mt. Tripyramid is one of the most sustained slab climbs in the White Mountains, ascending the bare northwest face of North Tripyramid (4,160 ft) across roughly a mile of open monzonite. The slide was stripped bare in August 1885 when heavy rains scoured the mountainside, leaving an unbroken sheet of granitic rock that has defined the trail ever since. The lower section begins in a rocky gully before the slabs open up, and from there the route climbs approximately 1,200 feet at grades that regularly hit 45 degrees or steeper. Trekking poles are a liability on the upper slabs; four points of contact are the norm rather than the exception. The rock is grippy when dry, but any moisture transforms it into something far more serious.
This is an exposed, committing ascent with no significant bailout once you're committed to the upper slabs. Route-finding is straightforward since the open slide is visible throughout, but the sheer length of sustained steep climbing distinguishes it from shorter technical scrambles elsewhere in the Whites. The segment runs approximately 1.0 mile from the base of the slide to the summit ridge of North Tripyramid, where the terrain finally relents.
The slide is reliably hikeable from mid-June through October, though wet rock or lingering snow changes the risk profile substantially. Early-season visitors often encounter ice patches above treeline well into June. Winter ascents require crampons and an ice axe and are a serious mountaineering undertaking. Trail conditions are reported regularly and worth checking before any visit.
