Monday morning was cool and sunny, and looked like the best day of the long weekend for a hike. While checking the weather on the Obs site, by habit I checked the Avy report. I was saddened to read the Snow Ranger's last report of the season. Then I made the mistake of checking the Wildcat Webcam... <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/4001.jpg" ALT="Mt W Obs webcam from Wildcat"> <BR> <BR>I had put the skis away three weeks ago, after a great day on Mt Jefferson, but I could not pass it up. There was more snow left in Tucks than I expected, based on how fast it was going in early May. I was psyched to go hiking anyway, so why not haul the skis up there one more time? <BR> <BR>I got a very late start from Pinkham at 11:30AM, where it was 57° F. I reached the snow at 1:15, and found seven other die-hards already there. There was a 300' vertical run left. You could still start up on the Sluice, though that barely connected by a narrow, undermined pitch to the last 200'+ down the skiers right of Lunch Rocks and the Tuckerman Ravine Trail. The snow was a mix of filthy dirt & grass encrusted glaciated surface, plus some nice 2"-3" corn where previous skiers & riders turns had scraped off the surface, and even some 5"-6" deep mashed potatoes where the sun and more turns had really broken it up. The Sluice was narrow and undermined, so it had to be skied cautiously, but once down to the main snowfield below the waterfall, I really enjoyed the turns. <BR> <BR>I think it's the first time in years that I didn't see any tele gear. The Johnson State crew included Jacky, the only female riding the only snowboard, and the rest of the guys were on downhill gear. The other two guys were on downhill gear and a pair of Salomon Snowblades. <BR> <BR>We were also treated to a fine demonstration of "boot skiing" by one guy, who had obviously done this before. He "skied" a good 100'+ in his hiking boots, complete with ski poles and helmet included. For an encore, he took another run with one ski pole, and a beer in the other hand; and didn't spill a drop! I'm not sure if it "counts" in the usual sense, but I've seen descents on the Bowl on everything from inner tubes to half a canoe. <BR> <BR>I hiked over to the left side and got 22 turns in under the Chute. The snow over there was cleaner, and perfect corn. There was a little less vertical than the Sluice, but probably a good 200'+ under the Chute. Then a short hike over to the center, and got eight turns twice in on two short pitches, before sking down over the rocky connection back to the main snowfield at Lunch Rocks. <BR> <BR>It was indeed a beautiful day for hiking up and down, skiing the remaining snow in Tucks, or just sitting on the rocks drinking beer. The forecasted clouds didn't move in until after 6PM, and I couldn't have had a better day. I put the skis back in the basement again... but who knows. I'll be checking the webcam next weekend!
Tuckerman Ravine - 5/31/04
- Thread starter Lftgly
- Start date
Frankontour
New member
Oops, the message that I wrote the other day didn't recorded <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/sad.gif" ALT="
"> <BR> <BR>The purpose was to thank you for your report. I'm happy that you got the chance to ski it at least until memorial day, even though the horrible lack of snow this year <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/sad.gif" ALT=""> <BR> <BR>Anyway, at least we can be sure that next year is gonna be better than this year as the opposite is not possible !!!!! <BR> <BR>On my side, it's sad to say, but with the rain of tuesday, we didn't head in the north as we planned to and I think that my ski season is over. <BR> <BR>Still good : october 20 to may 22 for over 7 months of skiing (216 days length) and 47 ski days, 10 more than my previous record. <BR> <BR>I really thought to visit Tucks many times this year, but with the lack of snow + studies, it finally became not possible for me to go <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/sad.gif" ALT=""> <BR> <BR>Next year at least I won't have the school ! (hopefully we'll have the snow !) <BR> <BR>Do you think to ski it again before the snow die ?
"> <BR> <BR>The purpose was to thank you for your report. I'm happy that you got the chance to ski it at least until memorial day, even though the horrible lack of snow this year <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/sad.gif" ALT=""> <BR> <BR>Anyway, at least we can be sure that next year is gonna be better than this year as the opposite is not possible !!!!! <BR> <BR>On my side, it's sad to say, but with the rain of tuesday, we didn't head in the north as we planned to and I think that my ski season is over. <BR> <BR>Still good : october 20 to may 22 for over 7 months of skiing (216 days length) and 47 ski days, 10 more than my previous record. <BR> <BR>I really thought to visit Tucks many times this year, but with the lack of snow + studies, it finally became not possible for me to go <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/sad.gif" ALT=""> <BR> <BR>Next year at least I won't have the school ! (hopefully we'll have the snow !) <BR> <BR>Do you think to ski it again before the snow die ?