Mount Washington Avalanche Center – Snow Safety Information for Mount Washington, Huntington Ravine, and Tuckerman Ravine

Avalanche Forecast for Thursday, April 25, 2019

Long, sliding fall potential this morning, followed by wet loose avalanches and increasing spring hazards this afternoon should be on your mind as you look for good turns. LOW avalanche danger exists today due to heavy sluffing in new snow that fell last night and more limited sluffing in older snow that will be softening through the day. There have been many learning opportunities this season regarding the severity of punishment that can be meted out for small mistakes, so pay close attention to your surroundings and your educated intuition.

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Danger Rating by Zone

APRIL 11, 2019 AVALANCHE FATALITY, RAYMOND CATARACT

April 15, 2019

Around lunchtime on Thursday, April 11, 2019, two hikers took a break on the summit of Lion Head. This ridge separates Tuckerman Ravine from a stream drainage to the north known as Raymond Cataract. While on Lion Head, they noted a skier descending into Raymond Cataract, an ephemeral, but recently popular ski descent only possible during winters with a deep snowpack.

The hikers remarked on the solid and skillful turns the skier was making and watched him descend out of view. At the same time, two skiers skinning up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail watched a solo skier make a couple of turns in upper Raymond Cataract and then returned their focus to skinning. Unknown to anyone, within a few turns of both sightings, Nicholas Benedix would ski over a convex 39 degree bulge and trigger a fatal avalanche. Read more

News from MWAC

Close call: Fall into deep waterfall hole

April 23, 2019/in Accident Summary, News /by Ryan Matz

As winter turns rapidly to spring, a number of hazards become prevalent in the steep terrain of the Presidential Range and particularly the Headwall of Tuckerman Ravine. Waterfall holes, glide cracks or crevasses, moats around cliffs and rocks, and other deep holes open as the thick snowpack melts. A fall into these holes, which often […]

Missing Person on Mount Washington

March 22, 2019/in News /by Frank Carus

USFS Snow Rangers are helping the New Hampshire Fish and Game in the search for Porith Stephon Sou. He has been reported missing since March 8, 2019 when he left Dracut, MA. He is described as an 21 year old Asian male, thin build, 5’ 2” in height. His vehicle was located at the AMC Pinkham […]

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Latest Observations

ice Fall

By James Grider
04/24/2019

Wet Loose slide in Left Gully, Tuckerman’s Ravine

By Will Synnott – Dartmouth Winter Sports Club
04/23/2019

Crack on ravine floor

By Mike Bergin
04/22/2019

Little Headwall Open

By Jeff Fongemie – Mount Washington Avalanche Center
04/20/2019

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