Tuckerman

Some of you may have seen this already, but I thought this was a really fine documentary of Tuckerman spring skiing.

Tuckermans was really nice today - It’s really great that the put the T bar in, makes it a lot easier to get a few more runs in

Hardy har har
I did a double take at first.

It is April 1

I saw a post on FB saying Tucks has a huge Avy fracture line across 75% of its width so it might not be skiablethis spring.  Don’t have t8meto digit up right now but it was from a good source

Z wrote

I saw a post on FB saying Tucks has a huge Avy fracture line across 75% of its width so it might not be skiablethis spring.  Don’t have t8meto digit up right now but it was from a good source

There's pics of that in many places on the web.  I think it was on snowbrains.com at one point, as well as TGR forums, Facebook groups, etc

Z wrote

 huge Avy fracture line across 75% of its width so it might not be skiable this spring.

Lol.

Yes, Tuckerman Ravine has never slid before, and, as we all know, if a slope has an avalanche, it becomes unskiable for an entire season.

People have been skiing Tucks since that slide. It looks like there is plenty of base under the slide track bed surface.

Now you just a have a small mandatory air on most lines in there so it's a tad spicier!

raisingarizona wrote

People have been skiing Tucks since that slide. It looks like there is plenty of base under the slide track bed surface.

Now you just a have a small mandatory air on most lines in there so it's a tad spicier!

Yup!!

But for folks that don't want the mandatory, it will likely fill in. I highly doubt the bowl has seen its last wind loading event of the season.

Beyond that... the crown extends from Chute across the Bowl to Sluice. That crown does not impact the other gullies. So you can say the headwall area of the bowl has a bit of a terrain hazard with that crown but not the entity of Tuckerman Ravine.

Never been to Tuckerman, but I think it could be fun if you only climb to the fracture and ski down?

Harvey wrote

Never been to Tuckerman, but I think it could be fun if you only climb to the fracture and ski down?

I've also not been to tucks but based on the pics I've seen, I'd say it might be kind of challenging to click in mid head-wall.

Haha good point. And yea... I can't even "click in."

Harvey wrote

Never been to Tuckerman, but I think it could be fun if you only climb to the fracture and ski down?

There are lots of other options than the main head wall that are quite interesting

Harvey wrote

Never been to Tuckerman, but I think it could be fun if you only climb to the fracture and ski down?

With many of the climbing routes in the bowl, there really isn't a way to click in safely after you reach a certain pitch. Some of the easier approaches like Hillman's are more forgiving for clicking in without topping out. That is definitely not an issue halfway up Hillman's. But I wouldn't recommend that on the headwall. The crown of that slide is pretty much at the steepest part of the bowl which is around 50*. That is almost double the pitch of the steepest in bounds run at many ski areas.

MC2 5678F589 wrote

Z wrote

 huge Avy fracture line across 75% of its width so it might not be skiable this spring.

Lol.

Yes, Tuckerman Ravine has never slid before, and, as we all know, if a slope has an avalanche, it becomes unskiable for an entire season.

I certainly dont enjoy skiing on Avy rubble but hey MC you probably love it like it’s fresh pow because you automatically zig when I  zag

Unless we get a ton more snow over that rubble it’s not going to be any fun this season

It’s pretty amazing what a good wind event and a week long MF cycle can do to a crown and avie rubble. Jus sayin. But yeah, skiing down fresh avie rubble pretty much sucks.

Z wrote

Unless we get a ton more snow over that rubble it’s not going to be any fun this season

The headwall area and ravine floor will look completely different in a few weeks, likely less depending on the weather. Your observation is way off the mark.

The last couple weekends over in Europe I skied over a good deal of corned over Avy debris and it’s nasty stuff.  Seems ok and then you hit a chunk and your tip goes backward.  Maybe the stuff below the fracture becomes ok but the debris field will be crap all spring without multiple feet of new over it