Once the snow begins to melt and the ski resorts begin to close each spring, skiers flock to Tuckerman’s Ravine, a bowl on the east facing side of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire’s White mountains.
Tuckerman’s has long been a spring skiing Mecca for its notoriously challenging terrain and its reputation for annually holding skiable snow into June (recording an average of 55 feet of snow pack on any given year).
Despite its popularity, a trip to Tuckerman’s should not be confused with any sort of resort skiing, it is an entirely different type of outing.
The easiest way to access the ravine is from the AMC lodge located at Pinkham Notch. The lodge offers parking, but on crowded spring weekends the cars can line the road, Route. 16, for miles.
From the lodge, it is an uphill hike of 2.6 miles to the caretakers cabin. Here skiers can check in with either snow rangers or the caretakers on the conditions of the ravine and the surrounding areas. The avalanche danger as well as other useful information is posted on a viewing board across from a deck where hikers and skiers will often gather before making the final push up to the ravine.
For winter camping, there are seven assorted three and four walled shelters available for shelter, but these shelters are first come first serve, requiring a sign-in at the lodge, and holding a capacity of 95 sleepers.
The deck at the caretakers cabin – nicknamed HoJo’s – offers a good place to take a breather and prepare for the hike up the bowl, which is viewable from this venue.
There are public outhouses along with a well available for hikers to refill their water.
From HoJo’s the last leg of the hike to reach the ravine takes about half an hour. This trail parallels a stream originating from the snowmelt runoff of Mt. Washington. For most of the winter this is frozen over, but during warm weather it can become raging rapids.
Most people upon reaching the bowl of the ravine, especially on warmer sunny days, will setup camp somewhere in the bowl and ditch the extra weight of food or layers they won’t need on their hike up or when skiing down. To the right a group of exposed rocks known as “lunch rocks” offers a good place for people to eat as well as view the skiers descending on various runs in the bowl.
There are several established runs available for hiking and skiing. Depending on the day, various boot packed paths offer skiers a place to make their ascent to the top of the bowl, typically taking around a half an hour or more depending on pace.
It is usually a good idea for a skier to hike the boot pack along the run that they wish to ski because it will give them an idea of how steep the run is. The runs in the ravine range from around 40 degrees to a staggering near 60 degrees. To lookers left is “left gully” which is one of the easier runs, comparatively. The runs become increasingly steep and challenging, offering things such as cliffs and waterfalls as looker scans right across the bowl.
The scene on a crowded spring weekend can draw crowds of over a thousand hikers and skiers, and can best be described as a frat party mixed with an extreme skiing video. An especially extreme tumble will be rewarded by cheers from the crowds of onlookers and can often deter people from attempting to climb and ski the bowl.
Depending on how much snow is left, usually until mid-May, skiers can ski most of the way down to the caretakers cabin when they are done for the day. From the caretakers cabin, skiers descend down a trail called The Sherbourne Trail, which runs adjacent to the Tuckerman’s Ravine Trail, which does not allow skiers. The Sherbourne trail will usually spit you out about halfway down, conveniently cutting the hike in half.
If you hate to see the snow melt and ski season slip away, consider a trip to Tuckerman’s. It is a test of endurance with the hike, and of skill with the very technical terrain, but can be incredibly rewarding. “Skiing Tux” is often considered a right of passage to northeast skiers, and was ranked on Skiing Magazine’s “Top ten things to before you die” list.