coreybyrnes
New member
Date(s) Skied: Sunday 04.17.2005
Resort or Ski Area: Tuckerman's Ravine, Mount Washington, NH
Conditions: sun-warmed mushy powder on a bluebird day with temperature ranging from 60's at the parking lot, 40's near the summit, 50's at lunch rocks
Trip Report: Well I have never skiied Tuckermans before so I was very excited for this day. It was to be the best day for Tuckermans of the year because of the amount of snow still up there and the high temperatures expected. I geared up the night before with a Gregory Palisade pack (my girlfriend stole my Gregory Banshee ski pack and went off to Europe), Volkl Vertigo G3 skis, Raichle ski boots (i think, haha!), Dolomite goretex hiking boots, MSR telescopic poles, Patagonia lightweight breathable Tshirt, Mountain Hardware full sleeve fleece, a turkey sandwich with pepperjack cheese, mayo, and spicy mustard (YUM), and a bunch of snack bars. Looking back I was perfectly packed (besides not having my ski pack!) for the trip. We arrived at the parking lot at about 930am and it looked to be quite packed. I was with two guy friends and we were to meet up with 3 others. We were coming from Boston, they were coming from Burlington, VT. We arrived at just about the same time so it worked out perfectly! We began our hike and the trail was immediately snow-packed. I began to think this was going to be a pretty decent hike, and it was. We made it to the hut in about 90 minutes, stopped for a minute, then kept on to the lunch rocks. I decided to keep my pack on for the hike to have a hand on each pole. Some chose to hike with skis in one hand and poles in the other. While having the pack on was slightly discomforting when strong winds would kick in, I was glad to have nothing to hold on to but my poles. The hike started out quite steep and I was feeling pretty unsure of my steps. Kick a toe, plant a pole, kick a toe, plant a pole... this is how it went for about 45 minutes up the Right Gully. We decided to hike the RIght Gully because it would get us above everything and we'd have the option of skiing anything we'd want to. Once we hit the top of the Right Gully we kept on hiking to the upper snow fields. We hiked about 3/4 of the way up the upper snow fields, click into our skis and we were off. It was incredibly freeing and exhilerating to finally be in my skis. The sun was shining strong, the sky was blue, I was with new friends, and the snow felt good. "This was so worth that hike!" was all I could think. I took a bunch of pictures but none of them truly convey the atmosphere and emotion of being up there. We arrived at the top of the Lip and it was pretty intimidating I must say. I only got in three ski days this year and they were in the beginning of the season so I had to get my ski legs on pretty quickly. It looked almost straight down and wow, what a feeling. There were big moguls formed from previous skier's turns on the Lip so that made it even harder. My legs were shaky and I didn't know if it was from nerves or from the hike. Most likely from both! All I could think was "If I fall on my first jump turn, I'm gonna hurl down this thing about 500 feet and that entire hike will be all for nothing so don't screw this up and get cocky!" And then it was on... I'd say about 5 jump turns and the Lip was conquered. What a rush that was! Then it was only a couple hundred feet to the rocks where my friends were waiting. I wanted to do it again but I wanted someone to carry me. It was the most intense thing I've done in a while and it was an amazing way to spend a Sunday. I will update this thread when I get my photos and mini-movies online. Attached is a map of our hike. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far!
Resort or Ski Area: Tuckerman's Ravine, Mount Washington, NH
Conditions: sun-warmed mushy powder on a bluebird day with temperature ranging from 60's at the parking lot, 40's near the summit, 50's at lunch rocks
Trip Report: Well I have never skiied Tuckermans before so I was very excited for this day. It was to be the best day for Tuckermans of the year because of the amount of snow still up there and the high temperatures expected. I geared up the night before with a Gregory Palisade pack (my girlfriend stole my Gregory Banshee ski pack and went off to Europe), Volkl Vertigo G3 skis, Raichle ski boots (i think, haha!), Dolomite goretex hiking boots, MSR telescopic poles, Patagonia lightweight breathable Tshirt, Mountain Hardware full sleeve fleece, a turkey sandwich with pepperjack cheese, mayo, and spicy mustard (YUM), and a bunch of snack bars. Looking back I was perfectly packed (besides not having my ski pack!) for the trip. We arrived at the parking lot at about 930am and it looked to be quite packed. I was with two guy friends and we were to meet up with 3 others. We were coming from Boston, they were coming from Burlington, VT. We arrived at just about the same time so it worked out perfectly! We began our hike and the trail was immediately snow-packed. I began to think this was going to be a pretty decent hike, and it was. We made it to the hut in about 90 minutes, stopped for a minute, then kept on to the lunch rocks. I decided to keep my pack on for the hike to have a hand on each pole. Some chose to hike with skis in one hand and poles in the other. While having the pack on was slightly discomforting when strong winds would kick in, I was glad to have nothing to hold on to but my poles. The hike started out quite steep and I was feeling pretty unsure of my steps. Kick a toe, plant a pole, kick a toe, plant a pole... this is how it went for about 45 minutes up the Right Gully. We decided to hike the RIght Gully because it would get us above everything and we'd have the option of skiing anything we'd want to. Once we hit the top of the Right Gully we kept on hiking to the upper snow fields. We hiked about 3/4 of the way up the upper snow fields, click into our skis and we were off. It was incredibly freeing and exhilerating to finally be in my skis. The sun was shining strong, the sky was blue, I was with new friends, and the snow felt good. "This was so worth that hike!" was all I could think. I took a bunch of pictures but none of them truly convey the atmosphere and emotion of being up there. We arrived at the top of the Lip and it was pretty intimidating I must say. I only got in three ski days this year and they were in the beginning of the season so I had to get my ski legs on pretty quickly. It looked almost straight down and wow, what a feeling. There were big moguls formed from previous skier's turns on the Lip so that made it even harder. My legs were shaky and I didn't know if it was from nerves or from the hike. Most likely from both! All I could think was "If I fall on my first jump turn, I'm gonna hurl down this thing about 500 feet and that entire hike will be all for nothing so don't screw this up and get cocky!" And then it was on... I'd say about 5 jump turns and the Lip was conquered. What a rush that was! Then it was only a couple hundred feet to the rocks where my friends were waiting. I wanted to do it again but I wanted someone to carry me. It was the most intense thing I've done in a while and it was an amazing way to spend a Sunday. I will update this thread when I get my photos and mini-movies online. Attached is a map of our hike. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far!
