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Tuckerman Ravine Skiing, NH | |
| When ski resorts in New England are closing, die-hard skiers make their way to New Hampshire's Tuckerman Ravine for the best late-season skiing in New England. | ||
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The catch? You must hike up to ski down. Tuckerman Ravine is a glacial cirque on the southeastern side of Mount Washington in New Hampshire's White Mountains National Forest near Gorham NH. Neighboring Huntington Ravine is similar. In the 1920s, a few die-hard skiers came to hike three miles (5 km) up the mountainside along primitive trails to reach the top of the cirque for the schuss down the slopes through snowfields that can reach 55 feet (17 meters) in depth. By the 1930s, the number of Tuckerman spring skiers was in the thousands. Now it's a New England ritual. True skiers, those who love the sport, the outdoors, the snow, the spectacular natural beauty, and the exhilaration of exertion, speed and skill, come from all over the world to Tuckerman Ravine each spring to make one, two or perhaps three runs per day. Let me make this clear: there are no lifts and few services. You hike up, you ski down, and perhaps you stay and dine at the Appalachian Mountain Club's Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch. Mount Washington's severe weather makes winter skiing here foolhardy, and even in spring the conditions can be dangerous. But when conditions are right, you can ski Tuckerman from March through May! Nothing fancy here. Just unforgettable spring skiing! For more info: —by Tom Brosnahan
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 Tuckerman Ravine, a glacial
cirque on the southeastern slope of Mount
Washington.
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