Guide to Skiing Tuckerman Ravine
This is by far our most frequently asked question: I want to ski Tuckerman Ravine, but where do I start? What gear do I need? Should I hire a guide? When should I go, and what are the best conditions?
What used to be a springtime destination is now a November-through-May (sometimes June) destination, and for good reason. Tuckerman Ravine funnels snow all winter long and offers world-class backcountry skiing. I've put this page together to help the full spectrum of skiers and snowboarders get the most out of their trip.
When to go: the three seasons
There are three distinct seasons: early winter, mid-winter, and spring. You might find mid-winter conditions in April or spring conditions in February, so the calendar is only a rough guide. What really matters is the snowpack and how the Mount Washington region fills in as winter progresses. The hazards change with the season too, so it's worth understanding each one.
Early winter
Early-season lines like Left Gully fill in first. It's skiable as a hike-in, hike-out on the Tuckerman Ravine Trail (roughly 3 miles and 2,500 feet of climbing). Smaller lines start to come in next, including the Chute, the Headwall, and Chicken Rock Gully (the line just below where the Sluice and Right Gully merge). Early-season hazards include exposed rocks, ice, and trees. The days keep getting shorter, but it's a great chance to catch sunrise without getting up at an unreasonable hour.
Mid-winter
Mid-winter offers the best conditions but also poses the greatest avalanche risk. All the lines fill in, and you can ski out via the John Sherburne Ski Trail (the "Sherb").
Spring
Spring is the busiest season. The snowpack stabilizes, the snow softens up, and you can often ski most, if not all, of the way back down to Pinkham Notch.
Gear
I've put together a comprehensive pack list of what I normally bring on a backcountry tour, but you'll need to adjust it for each day's weather. The goal is to be prepared for the worst, including being able to help others who may be underprepared. Key items include your skis, skins, poles, avalanche safety gear, first aid kit, clothing, and nutrition. Once your gear is dialed, you might swap out a few soft goods depending on the season, but your kit should stay fairly consistent no matter the time of year.
Hiring a guide
Guides are an excellent way to learn about any region, and Tuckerman Ravine is no different. You can learn a ton from an experienced skier, even if your window to ski turns out to be less than ideal. A guide will find the best (and most fun) route for your experience level and the current snowpack. If you want to try ski mountaineering, they might take you over to Huntington Ravine. If you'd rather ski mellow terrain, maybe they'll take you to the Gulf of Slides Ski Trail. Wherever you go, they'll point out potential ski zones and teach you about preparation and planning, along with more in-depth knowledge of ski touring around Pinkham Notch and beyond.
See our recommended guiding outfitters and avalanche courses.
Weather and avalanche forecasts
Navigating the constantly changing weather is one of the biggest hurdles on Mount Washington. In winter, I can't stand sustained winds above 40 mph, subzero temps, or flat light. These are the resources I'm checking constantly:
- Mount Washington current summit conditions
- Higher Summits Forecast
- Mount Washington Avalanche Center forecast
A sample tour, start to finish
With that baseline, here's how a choose-your-own-adventure tour plays out.
The night before
The night before a backcountry tour, I talk through options with my ski partners. We look at the forecasts above and make a Plan A and a Plan B. For this example, Plan A is Tuckerman Ravine and Plan B is the Sherburne Ski Trail. If we don't like what we're seeing early on, we have an easy bailout option.
I put my skins on my skis and organize my gear (going over my pack list) so there's zero chance I forget anything in the morning.
The approach
Most tours start early (around 6 a.m.) so we can be back in time for work. We meet at the base of the Sherb, do a quick gear check (the perfect time to test beacons), and start skinning up. If it were later in the morning or on a weekend, we'd cut over to the Tuckerman Ravine Trail to avoid downhill traffic, but the Sherb is more direct, so it's the preferred early-morning route.
Hermit Lake
At Hermit Lake, we regroup and make a call. Sometimes we pivot to the Hillman's Highway zone or weigh other options. If visibility is poor, we might hunker down for a bit, but most likely we'll continue up to the bowl and make another decision there.
Up to the bowl
The climb up to the ravine is punchy and not a great route to skin, so it's worth skinning to the first pitch and then putting your skis on your pack. If you have ski crampons you want to test out, this is a good spot to see how they work.
Connection Cache
Connection Cache, the first-aid sled shed just before you enter the ravine, is where I switch into my warmer layers. It's also a good viewpoint to start comparing your observations with the forecasts. In general, the avalanche forecast is spot on, but some days we ground-truth conditions that differ from what was forecast. This is where years of experience add up, and where education and experience are critical. Learning to read the snowpack is a never-ending class.
Avalanche education and rescue training are non-negotiable for my touring partners. If you're planning on doing a lot of backcountry activities (winter or summer), I highly recommend taking a Wilderness First Responder course. I became a WEMT way back in 1998, and it was one of the best choices I've made.
In the ravine
From the cache, we have a plan, and we continually re-evaluate the snowpack. On this particular day, we skinned to a safe spot between Left Gully and the Chute. Feeling confident about the snowpack, we switched to crampons and put our skis on our backs. I led up the first pitch to the choke, where we re-evaluated our plan once again. Everyone shared the same confidence, so I led us up through the choke and over to the shoulder. At that point, everything was a green light. If there had been any signs of instability or other red flags, we would have turned around. There's always another day.
The snow conditions worsened as we approached the top of the line, so I stopped and built a platform to transition. I won't get into the snow science here, but this is all about finding good skiing, not forcing turns in sub-par conditions. We skied the face one at a time and regrouped on the floor of the ravine.
We had time for another short lap, so we transitioned back to hiking and headed up Chicken Rock Gully, since it was in the sun and easy to get into. This zone has plenty of hazards to keep an eye on: snow from above, Lunch Rocks to looker's right, and icefall from the cliffs next to the Sluice. The snow here can be softer because it pools from several directions. Again, we felt good about the snowpack and made a few turns before leaving the bowl.
The exit
Our exit that day was a bit of an adventure. In early season, you down-hike the Tuckerman Ravine Trail back to HoJo's and ski the Sherb from there. This time, we needled our way down the Cutler drainage and were able to ski Little Headwall, which isn't always skiable. It's often open and flowing (it's a waterfall in the summer). Navigating this section often means following someone else's tracks, which isn't always a good idea. If you end up farther to skier's right, you can skirt Little Headwall and find a line that connects below it. The ski out on the Sherb was uneventful.
