Hiking Tuckerman - No More Confusion!

[skicdave]

After reading various comments and answering a few emails on the topic of what to wear / how to get up Tuckerman Ravine it occured to me that some of those looking to visit Tuckerman for the first time are a bit confused about the process of getting up Tuckerman.

Tuckerman involves two steps not one. You don't just park your car and hike up a slope and ski down. You have to hike to the backcountry to the area called Tuckerman Ravine on a well used path...

So you start off from Pinkham notch an hike up a low grade / well used hiking trail (the Tuckerman Ravine trail) in order to arrive at the BASE of the area we normally ski, ie the 'bowl' of Tuckerman Ravine. This part of your day takes about 2.5 to 3 hours and involves HIKING.

So you start off in hiking mode, skis and gear on your back in your pack walking up a path.

Upon arriving at the base of the ravine most skiers head to lunch rocks, swap hiking boots for ski boots, ditch the back pack (have a snack first), then start part 2...

You ascend the bowl in ski boots, ski down, have lunch on er.. lunch rocks, head up, ski some more (repeat as often as your body can stand it). At the end of the day you head back to your pack, swap ski boots for hiking boots, re-attach skis to pack, and head back down the Tuckerman Ravine trail to some place you call home.

Of course if its April you can probably just grab your pack and ski down the Sherburne trail all the way down to Pinkham Notch rather than hiking back out.

So the photos of people on the site with skis slung over their back on a snow covered slope are people heading up the bowl for a run NOT hiking up the Tuckerman Ravine trail. Likewise those hiking up with packs with skis and boots attached along what looks like a trail are people hiking along the Tuckerman Ravine trail HEADING for the bowl.

Nuff said hope this clearifys things some.

Dave

http://timefortuckerman.com/gifs/moose3a.gif

[osudrunk]

skicdave,
Thanks. Like I said before I have little idea of what the trail was like at Tucks. This clear up my confusion, and I see now why you would want to use hicking boots to the lunch rocks.
osudrunk

[riverc0il]

just for a visual clarification, i have some pictures of the first half of the Tuckerman Ravine trail (the part between the trailhead and the actual Ravine). these pictures were taken in the summer unfortunatley, so please imagine the trail with some snow on it. but you'll notice the trail to get to the Ravine where you ski is actually mostly rocks.
http://hammer.prohosting.com/~theway/graphics/trail1.jpg http://hammer.prohosting.com/~theway/graphics/trail2.jpg http://hammer.prohosting.com/~theway/graphics/trail4.jpg

under ideal conditions, no crowds, and no rest breaks (about 3 miles), you can hike to lunch rocks in just over two hours. more likely it will take up to three hours counting for crowds, equipment, rest, and most importantly, stopping to enjoy it.

[rachael]

thanx for the helpful summary http://timefortuckerman.com/ubb/smile.gif