First Timer

I am looking to ski Tuck's this year for the first time. I am an alpine ski racer and an expert skier. I have several questions on what to expect. I have hiked the trail in the summer before. Here are my questions:
-is going in the end of march too early?
-will I need to hike in snow shoes? or will winter hiking boots be fine?
-what time is a good time to start in the morning?
-how long does it take to ski out?

thanks, any other tips are welcomed and much appreciated!

[riverc0il]

-is going in the end of march too early?

you can go any time you want, just check out the avi conditions before you approach the bowl and decide whether it's worth it.

will I need to hike in snow shoes? or will winter hiking boots be fine?

the TRT should be well packed, winter hiking boots will be fine.

-what time is a good time to start in the morning?

leave 2-3 hours for the hike to the bowl. if you're looking for things to corn up, probably don't want to ski too early. really depends if you're just going for one run or a couple and whether you want to hang out in the bowl all day.

-how long does it take to ski out?

the ski down the sherburne trail is sadly not long enough, but it is 2000+ verts on a windy fun trail. shouldn't take more than 15 minutes tops to make it down the ski trail.

i'm sure others more knowledgable with the ravine can pipe in with more specific answers. a good intro is over at www.timefortuckerman.com

Sorry fellows, you lost me. What area are you going to?

[Mike P.]

They are talking about Tuckerman's Ravine. Just some some pictures of Great Gulf from last weekend, does not seem overly full of snow, then again I'm not a skier....

[David Metsky]

Tucks has plenty of snow, it's going to be a banner season up there.

Tuckerman Ravine is a glacial cirque on the east side of Mt Washington. In spring, it draws all sorts of people to hike up and ski down the steep slopes.

http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/whites/tuckermans.html

-dave-