Vibe Spring2025 - Flipbook - Page 65
ASSESSING SPRING RISKS
IN TUCKERMAN RAVINE
With the Mount Washington Avalanche Center
By Lily Hartman
Although the risk of avalanches decreases in spring, the hazards from
warmer temperatures, more intense sunlight, and snow-to-rain cycles
create more dangers than in winter. During spring, there are hundreds
(sometimes thousands) of people heading up to the ravine, who are often
less experienced than winter adventurers.
May 7, 2023, was like any other spring day in the White
Mountains. The sun was beaming down on the slushy snow
that lost its hardness and grip after winter, but that didn’t
stop the skiers and hikers trekking up Tuckerman Ravine
Trail. I climbed alongside my dad, carrying two bulky skis attached to
his small backpack. As we made our way past Hermit Lake and into the
bowl, a colosseum of people was getting amped up and having fun as
they watched several skiers and snowboarders hike up the left side of
Tuckerman Ravine, like ants marching in a line. Each put on their board at
different points—some only a few steps up on the Left Gully, while others
at the top of The Chute, who often hesitated for a few minutes (or longer)
before making their way down the steep route, past big boulders, and
underneath ice chunks the size of a car. “There’s this amazing amount of
pressure from the people in the bottom of the bowl cheering you on and
screaming,” says Kate Moynihan, an avalanche forecaster and snow ranger
at the Mount Washington Avalanche Center (MWAC). “When someone
does have a catastrophic fall, they’re still cheering them on,” she continues. “It’s a super bizarre environment.”
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