Tuckerman Ravine 05/12/07

[Greg]

Put in for a vacation day this Friday. Plan on being at Pinkham no later than 8 AM on Saturday.

Please remember to take a lot of video so we have something to watch next year...

 

[andyzee]

Please remember to take a lot of video so we have something to watch next year...

You got it big guy!

 

[andyzee]

Please remember to take a lot of video so we have something to watch next year...

Just for you Greg :lol:

 

[dmc]

Get there EARLY!!! It will be crowded... You should start hiking no later then 8AM.. that puts you at Hojos at 930(ish).. Then assuming you hang ot a Hojos for a 1/2 hour break then start for the bowl.. You'll be in the bowl and settled by 11:00

the earlier the better.. You can start your climbs when the snow is hard and ski when the snow is soft.. Climb up Right Gully and head up to the snowfields... By the time you get to them it will be a SWEET(but expensive) meal of corn...

Keep in mind when the sun starts to go down and things get shaded they get sketchy... And it happens really fast! Some places get shaded by 2PM...

 

[dmc]

Just for you Greg :lol:

Gotta love M@.... NAked skier 2006...

 

[andyzee]

Get there EARLY!!! It will be crowded... You should start hiking no later then 8AM.. that puts you at Hojos at 930(ish).. Then assuming you hang ot a Hojos for a 1/2 hour break then start for the bowl.. You'll be in the bowl and settled by 11:00

the earlier the better.. You can start your climbs when the snow is hard and ski when the snow is soft.. Climb up Right Gully and head up to the snowfields... By the time you get to them it will be a SWEET(but expensive) meal of corn...

Keep in mind when the sun starts to go down and things get shaded they get sketchy... And it happens really fast! Some places get shaded by 2PM...

Thanks for the advice!

 

[dmc]

Be safe... enjoy.... kick some ass!!!!

If I wasn't in Sweden I'd join ya!

 

[andyzee]

Put in for a vacation day this Friday. Plan on being at Pinkham no later than 8 AM on Saturday.

This be the group so far, with the exception of the Pico cap guy. Join us if you see us.

 

[ga2ski]

DMC - Have you been to tucks this season? I;m not sure there will be snow in snowfields. When i was there on April 21st the snowfields were looking sparse. There was snow in places I hadn't seen in years and no snow where it usually is. The april snow and winds pocketed the snow in wierd places.

 

[dmc]

DMC - Have you been to tucks this season? I;m not sure there will be snow in snowfields. When i was there on April 21st the snowfields were looking sparse. There was snow in places I hadn't seen in years and no snow where it usually is. The april snow and winds pocketed the snow in wierd places.

Like you indicated...
Depends on whcih snowfield... Or thats what my buddies that were ther last weekend told me...

 

[cbcbd]

DMC - Have you been to tucks this season? I;m not sure there will be snow in snowfields. When i was there on April 21st the snowfields were looking sparse. There was snow in places I hadn't seen in years and no snow where it usually is. The april snow and winds pocketed the snow in wierd places.

Check the North Eastern snowfields, there was snow there this past weekend. The Eastern snowfields are pretty bare. If you look at the pic I attached (borrowed from jerryg), I circled the NE snowfields in red, E in green. NE is nice and steep (reaches 40+) and pretty long - you could definitively do a bunch of laps up there. There are rocks sparsed around, so it's a no-fall zone.
IMO I prefer it up there in the snowfields, everything else in the ravine (Hillmans, Left, Chute, Right) is bumped up - I don't mind the bumps, but I prefer making my own turns on the fun steep stuff - I could see the bumps on Left from Wildcat on Sunday!

Also, like DMC said, by 2-3pm the sun is already covering Left and Chute. Conditions change drastically when the shade hits up there.

 

[snowmonster]

Andy, got this scouting report from li'l snowmonster's officemate who was up there last weekend:

"And as far as routes it will all depend on the avalanche conditions when he gets up there, but for a first timer I would say he should try left gulley if the avalanche warnings are low enough( just be careful of the rocks) and stay out of the middle of the headwall(too many possibilities of car sized ice chunks coming free at this time of the year). Hillmans highway is the long run over on the far left side , out of the actual bowl area, longest hike but also the longest and safest run down for someone who hasn’t ever been up there."

 

[andyzee]

Yeah, pretty much got the same thing on KZone

 

[cbcbd]

Andy, got this scouting report from li'l snowmonster's officemate who was up there last weekend:

"And as far as routes it will all depend on the avalanche conditions when he gets up there, but for a first timer I would say he should try left gulley if the avalanche warnings are low enough( just be careful of the rocks) and stay out of the middle of the headwall(too many possibilities of car sized ice chunks coming free at this time of the year). Hillmans highway is the long run over on the far left side , out of the actual bowl area, longest hike but also the longest and safest run down for someone who hasn’t ever been up there."

Avalanche danger won't go up from here on and it's already at low - unless we get some new snow. The snow pack is very stable and avalanches right now are very unlikely. The only real danger now is falling ice. If you ascend Right gully to the way right of lunch rocks then you can avoid most ice fall paths. I skied down Right gully this past weekend and it was skiable below the first rock band (above that was too tight and not worth it) - from there I'd stick to skier's left of the lunch rocks.
I'd say if you are set on skiing the ravine start on the left (Left and Chute) and as the sun creeps in and covers the left side just move over to Right gully.

Hillmans is a nice and long run, but it's not too much safer save for the icefall danger - there are still rocks here and there that you can slide into and it gets steeper towards the top. IMO a good option since you save the whole hike from Hojos into the bowl (and the slog back down) - but most people want to get into the ravine for the scene.

 

[thaller1]

Thanks for all the heads-up. Looks like earlier is better. I'll try my best to be up there at 8. I tend to hike slowly (because I have shorter feet since I'm a hobbit) so between more hours between the sheets and a slower hike up, I'd rather take the latter.

I don't know how long a drive it is for you.but if you need a place to crash Friday night and/ or Saturday you are more than welcome.... we're right off 95 in Maine..about 2.5 hours from Tucks. we'll be leaving around 5 ish... we've got plenty of room it's jus' me, W and the kitty and 4 bedrooms!!

Let me know!!
T

 

[andyzee]

I don't know how long a drive it is for you.but if you need a place to crash Friday night and/ or Saturday you are more than welcome.... we're right off 95 in Maine..about 2.5 hours from Tucks. we'll be leaving around 5 ish... we've got plenty of room it's jus' me, W and the kitty and 4 bedrooms!!

Let me know!!
T

Cool stuff, just turned into a party!

 

[thaller1]

Cool stuff, just turned into a party!

You too AZ & V... if you need a place to crash we have plenty of room..!!

can't wait..nothing like coming from Florida beaches to Tucks!! ha ha ha

 

[andyzee]

You too AZ & V... if you need a place to crash we have plenty of room..!!

can't wait..nothing like coming from Florida beaches to Tucks!! ha ha ha

Much appreciated, but I'll most likely just go with Parkers Hotel in Lincoln, it's under $50 and about an hour away. But thanks

 

[thaller1]

Much appreciated, but I'll most likely just go with Parkers Hotel in Lincoln, it's under $50 and about an hour away. But thanks

NP!! We'll plan on meeting up between 7:30 and 8??
T

 

[andyzee]

NP!! We'll plan on meeting up between 7:30 and 8??
T

Yep, I'll try to make it closer to 7:30, 8 at the latest. Also, I'll send you a PM with more info.