1 week Ago
Avalanche forecaster Charlotte MacDonald stood before 40 hikers, climbers, mountaineers, skiers, snowboarders and wilderness rescuers — folks for whom Tuckerman Ravine is a household name and a challenge they never quite master. She came to talk about safety. Behind her, a screen flashed an image of Mount Washington’s eastern slope, the Cutler River Drainage area known as “Avalanche Alley,” which contains Tuckerman, Huntington and Hillman ravines.
Images of crevasses, holes, ice falls — places where it’s unsafe to venture or linger ...
skiers dropping acrobatically, spectacularly from the headwall in Tuckerman ...
complicated, life-saving rescues after long, sliding falls. “What does this picture mean?” she asked the group gathered at Ledge Brewery in Intervale on March 28. “Windy.
” “Decisions.” “Risk.” “Birthplace of extreme skiing.
” Tuckerman Ravine, New Hampshire’s mecca for backcountry skiers, lures athletes, daredevils and would-be conquerors throughout spring, and sometimes as late as July, depending on how long the snowpack lasts. During the Mount Washington ski season, from early December through the end of May, there are, on average, 25 life-threatening falls on New Hampshire’s tallest peak. From their summit perch at the Mount Washington Avalanche Center, MacDonald and her fellow forecaster-rescuers watch diehards and try-hards gliding, sliding, slipping, flipping, flying and smashing or mastering the steep ravines.
“Regardless of skier ability, the hazard is the same,” MacDonald said. “Long, sliding falls are a leading cause of fatalities on Mount Washington.” Such falls accounted for about 45% of the winter fatalities on the mountain between 1928 and 2024, according to data cited by the Mount Washington Avalanche Center.
Avalanches and hypothermia each accounted for just over 20%. “This is backcountry. It’s not Tuckerman’s Ski Area,” MacDonald told her audience.
“There needs to be a collective change in how we think of Tuckerman Ravine. I want everyone to know the level of risk you’re taking. Don’t necessarily go for the top if it’s your first time out here.
” Most of the group had had avalanche training, but few had mountaineer training, according to a show of hands. Social media has broadened interest in tackling Tuckerman and the nearby ravines. For some, it’s a must-do feat on their bucket list, according to Jeff Fongemie, a longtime avalanche forecaster who spoke at an Appalachian Mountain Club media event last June.
But more than a few skiers and snowboarders who hike up to ski down overestimate their abilities, come unprepared, fail to check weather updates, or have insufficient knowledge of the terrain and how to negotiate its shifting conditions. “On days when the snow is soft you can push yourself and the snow is forgiving,” said MacDonald. “It’s fun to watch someone ski it (Tuckerman) well.
But it opens a floodgate. Everyone goes, ‘Oh, I can do that.’” “There’s days when the conditions align to push yourself,” she said.
“There’s days when it’s not that day.” MacDonald was narrating some of the spectacular but humbling footage on the screen. “It was a firm, fast, long sliding fall day.
There are days you see fall after fall. The mountain doesn’t care how much you know. It’s amazing how quickly you develop speed.
” This time of year, the snow and ice are in constant flux, thawing and refreezing. “Take a look around and assess the conditions,” she said. “The biggest hazard you may encounter is variable and frozen conditions.
” Among people who’ve been rescued, she added, “Some say, ‘I knew this was a bad idea but I did it anyway.’ Or ‘I didn’t slow down to think.’” Here are some of the specific hazards, as found on the Avalanche Center’s website: According to the Avalanche Center, the incidence of avalanches begins to trail off in spring.
But springtime brings hazards such as icefalls and rockfalls, especially with freeze-thaw cycles, melting ice, and water runoff from snowmelt. The rocks and ice chunks can range in size from a golf ball to a car or truck, and can reach speeds over 60 mph as they hurtle down the walls of the ravines. Such falls are unpredictable and can happen on any steep slope with exposed ice or rocks uphill.
Periods of intense sun or warming or heavy rain can set them off. Frequent freeze-and-thaw cycles can dislodge huge rocks and ice chunks that can reach 60 mph as they careen down the steep slopes of the ravines. Forecasters and rescuers recommend wearing a helmet in any steep terrain and minimizing the time spent under an overhang where other people are traversing above.
During spring, Lunch Rocks — despite its name — is among the most perilous locations in Tuckerman Ravine because of its exposure to icefall, according to the Avalanche Center’s website. As rising temperatures, rain and water runoff erode the snow, cracks and large, deep holes can form. Snow can be undermined by water flowing beneath the surface, and from the natural movement or creep of the mountain snowpack.
Sometimes you’ll see cracks in blue or white ice. Sometimes you’ll hear a cracking sound. They’re hard to spot.
From a distance, glide cracks can appear as horizontal lines. Deep holes can resemble depressions, and can develop beside or below rock buttresses and boulders where water collects. The openings can be very deep, and big enough for a person to fall into — with no reasonable way out until the snow completely melts.
“Most of the snow slopes are undermined at this point” of the season, MacDonald said. “With one to two inches of fresh snow, you can’t see the sneaky hazards lurking.” If you fall in a snow or ice hole or crevasse, “These may not be survivable.
” The Avalanche Center crew can see people fall “but we don’t know how deep or if we have someone to rescue.” Having the proper gear — including helmets, crampons (above) and an ice ax — is critical when taking on Mount Washington’s steep terrain, especially in springtime. Wet avalanches can occur when running water decreases the snow’s strength.
They take the form of cohesive slabs or loose, saturated chunks that seem to cling to the snow. Although they move slowly, their power and heavy weight can make them difficult to escape. MacDonald encourages anyone who climbs to ski Mount Washington in spring to invest in mountaineering training, and come with a helmet, crampons an ice ax “and the skills to use them.
” And a “puffy” or down jacket can be a life-saver. Know how to how to navigate steep and slippery areas with solid footfalls, how climb down safely, and have an extrication plan for your group in case someone gets hurt, she said. “It’s rarely the injury itself that causes someone to pass away,” said MacDonald.
“It’s the post-injury exposure. No one’s going to die of a broken leg. But they can die of exposure.
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