It's a three mile, three
hour hike, and about 2500 vertical feet, carrying skis, boots, and
full winter gear, just to get there! It seems like a 90 degree drop!
Why the heck would anyone want to ski there!
Homayoon Akhiani's Quicktime Movies of Tuck's
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We've been up in Tuck's a couple dozen times during the spring skiing season (April to July-ish?), and we seem to go back every year. I'm not crazy enough to ski the damn thing, but I love to watch the maniacs (mostly expert skiers) go wild! I'll suit up with crampons, ice ax, etc., and climb up the headwall or one of the snow gullies. If conditions are right, my favorite run is to just take a dive and let her rip, sliding out of control in full (slippery!) windgear, practicing self arrest and semi-controlled glissading on the way down. Too many times I've picked up too much speed, and sometimes gone into a rip-roaring tumbling free-for-all! The 'ol body always comes home battered, bruised, and hurtin'.
The beauty of climbing the headwall and topping out above the lip is indescribable! Some of my best memories of late winter/early spring are days spent wandering around up top on the plateau, just below the summit cone, after scaling a 55 degree gully,,,,, followed by a standing glissade down the other gully,,,, then doing it again. If you have ever been in the ravine, at the end of a spring day, when everyone has gone for the evening,,,,, and watched the full moon rise in the east over the Carter Range, you will never ever forget it! Tuckerman's Ravine is truly a magical place!
If the weatherman ever forecasts three sunny days in a row in May (or June/April some years) for the White Mountains of New Hampshire, head up to Tuckerman's Ravine on Mount Washington. One good weekend and you'll return year after year!
Real-time Tuck's/Huntington's Ravines Avalanche Bulletin
US Forest Service Avalanche bulletin- Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines
Live WebCam View from
the SUMMIT
of Mount Washington
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Page created and updated by Tim D; January, 1999 (ud 5/99)