Tuckerman Ravine

Infobox Mountain
Name = Tuckerman Ravine
Photo = TuckermanRavineSkiing.jpg
Caption =Tuckerman Ravine with Spring Skiers
Elevation = convert|4430|ft|m|0|lk=on
Location = New Hampshire, United States of America
Range = White Mountains
Coordinates = coord|44|15|45|N|71|17|54|W|type:mountain|display=inline,title

Tuckerman Ravine is a glacial cirque sloping eastward on the southeast face of Mt. Washington, in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Although it draws hikers, mostly outside wintry weather, and skiers in winter, it is best known for the many "spring skiers" — people who ascend it on foot and ski down, from early April until mid- or late May. In that period, temperatures are relatively mild but the natural snowpack — which averages up to convert|55|ft|m|lk=on in a typical winter — is still good. The record-setting high winds atop Mount Washington constantly scour a massive amount of snow from the surroundings and drop it here or in the adjacent Huntington Ravine.

Literally thousands of people have been known to ski Tuckerman (casually called "Tuck's", often spelled "Tux") in a single spring weekend. Skiing or ice climbing is not limited to this time, but the avalanche danger requires special training to assess and navigate the ravine safely during the winter. There have been 10 avalanche fatalities recorded (including one expert rescuer during a 1982 search) from 34 avalanche incidents in the area in the past 60 years.

The ravine is most easily accessed from the AMC lodge on Route 16 at Pinkham Notch, via the moderate convert|2.4|mi|km|lk=on|adj=on lower section of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. This trail is maintained in winter and spring as a "cat" trail, and parallels the Sherburne Trail used for ski and snowboard descents. It is a convert|1850|ft|m|adj=on elevation drop from the foot of Tuckerman to the lodge.

History

The ravine is named after botanist Edward Tuckerman who studied alpine plants and lichens in the area in the 1830s and 1840s. According to the New England Ski Museum, the first recorded use of skis on Mount Washington was by a Dr. Wiskott of Breslau, Germany, who skied on the mountain in 1899, while the first skier in Tuckerman was John S. Apperson of Schenectady, New York, in April 1914.

Image Gallery

See also

*Presidential Range
*White Mountain National Forest
*List of New Hampshire-related topics
*Tuckerman Brewing Company

References

External links

* [http://www.timefortuckerman.com/ Time For Tuckerman site] — community and information site for extreme skiing on Tuckerman Ravine
* [http://www.tuckerman.org/ Official USFS website of Tuckerman area]
* [http://www.firstchairmag.com/bc/tucks/index.html Useful Guide for Skiing Tucks]
* [http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/05/25/travel/escapes/25ski.html "For Daredevil Skiing, the Season Is Now"] The New York Times (May 25, 2007)
* [http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/NEWS01/204300385/-1/news20 "Long Way to the Top" April 2007 article on spring skiing at Tuckerman]