Tuckerman Ravine Conditions

Ski Conditions for Tuckerman Ravine

Weather Forecast

It's important to pick the weather and not the date. The weather is all over the map on Mt Washington and as OutKast says: "you can plan a pretty picnic, but you can't predict the weather." Well the forecasts have improved tremendously over the years. I always start with the NOAA forecast, then look at the Observatory forecast, and lastly, Jackson, NH. I aim for the wind gusts to be less than 50 miles per hour and temps to be appropriate: in the winter I don't like being out if the temperatures are negative. When spring conditions arrive (as early as February), I look for summit temps above 30ºF and temperatures in Jackson, NH to be greater than 50ºF. This ensures the snowpack will warm up appropriately.

Mount Washington Avalanche Center

Avalanche conditions exist in Tuckerman Ravine for much of the snow season. Early season snow accumulates in the months of October, November, and December. When enough snow to cause a destructive avalanche accumulates, the Mount Washington Avalanche Center will start issuing daily avalanche bulletins. They can be found on their website, and also include local observations.

Seasonal Variation

Tuckerman Ravine Conditions will vary as the snow season progresses. Left Gully and Chicken Rock Gully (lower Sluice / Right Gully) will accumulate snow first. Then the lower sections of Chute and Center Headwall will fill in. The upper ravine, Lip, Sluice, and Right Gully will be the last lines to fill in. Mid-winter snowpack is generally windslab but there are instances where you'll encounter powder, rain crust, or a mix of all three. Spring conditions mean the snowpack has stabilized (100% bonded) and the avalanche risk has been minimized. However, additional hazards will appear in the form of overhead hazards (ice and rockfall), open glide cracks, and potential for long sliding falls as snowpack refreezes and trees and rocks surface from the winter snowpack.