Tuckerman Ravine

Avalanche terrain in Tuckerman Ravine is well-connected snow slopes that have the potential to run to the fullest extent of their paths, should we get a significant snow and avalanche event in the future.  Good stability was observed today and the conditions were aligned with the morning avalanche forecast. 

Surface snow conditions are variable, with a mix of hard, old snow surface and new, much softer wind-affected snow from 1.7 inches of new snow recorded on the Mount Washington Summit yesterday and about 1.5 inches of new snow recorded last night. West winds have transported new snow primarily onto east-facing slopes. Slopes with more northerly or southerly tilt displayed evidence of wind scouring down to the firm old snow surface and the high wind speeds have pushed a lot of snow down into the center part of gullies and terrain features. 

Our team witnesses several skiers descending slopes with the deepest amounts of soft snow (reported to be 5 inches in some areas and 12 inches in isolated areas). Skiers did not report slab characteristics in these softer areas of new snow, nor was there any evidence of significant wind slab formation in Tuckerman Ravine. The old snow surface is firm but not slick and provided a decent surface for new snow to bond. 

There is a significant amount of snow still available for transport, especially if winds shift direction in the future. 

No signs of instability were observed. Watched multiple skiers ski some of the steepest terrain in Tuckerman without any signs of instability. No cracking, collapsing, or natural avalanches were observed.