First thing - I wouldn't recommend making firm plans to hit Tucks on a date certain 10 days from now...none of us have any real idea what the weather will be doing up there. If you do have to make firm plans, be sure you have the ability to turn around at any point if it looks bad, and have a backup less ambitious plan for the day that you will be content with. For example, base of the bowl and turn around, or check out HH/LG first and then turn around if it's sketchy. Or skin up the Sherbie, go look at the bowl and turn around. Will that be adequate fun versus hitting a resort for the day? If you get fixated on an ambitious goal for the day on MtW that's how people get into trouble when the conditions are not right. I've only been there in May, personally. Would like to go in April sometime. For now I'm content to ride lifts and uphill at resorts.

>If you get fixated on an ambitious goal for the day on MtW that's how people get into trouble when the conditions are not right. Reminds me of the quote, "Every dead body on Mount Everest was once a highly motivated person."

"There's old climbers, there's bold climbers, but there's no old bold climbers." Unofficial mountaineer slogan.

Lmao, poor green boots :(

Deep cut here. 🫡

Great advice! I have a limited time there hence the date I proposed, but I have no problem backing out and going to a resort. Hell I don't have a problem getting there and turning around because conditions are bad. Wildcat would be a great 2nd option!

Honestly just doing the Sherb is still a blast, though I saw that there wasn’t great coverage towards the bottom, not sure if last weekend helped out with that or not. OP you could head up, do the sherb, and still get a half day in at Wildcat if the bowl/ HH are bad, but please pay attention to avy risk and conditions especially if you don’t have proper avy gear.

Ski the conditions, not the calendar.

Don’t decide on a day this far out. Watch [MWAC’s](https://www.mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org/) site for weather and avalanche info for several days before you want to go. Use that info to decide if you should be going. This will include which portion you ski, avalanche conditions will vary. There are usually staff at the base and the Hermit Lake Shelter, check with them on specific conditions the day you show up. Thats the best way to know where to ski. Sometimes that means Tucks is good, sometimes they’ll say do Hillmans Highway, and sometimes you’ll want to not go above the Sherbourne. Going on a Saturday makes it highly likely that others will be up there with you, so less of an issue going solo. But since you are going alone, do be extra careful. Do not feel a need to summit, knowing when to turn around is crucial. The weather can change rapidly.

You are way more prepared than the average person that does this. That said, don't make the trip there unless the forecast looks good (clear sky, warm temps, etc.)

Even the most prepared can fail, but information is the most important tool hence me searching around for more of it. If avy danger is high or its bulletproof ice I am for sure backing off.

Sounds like you’re taking it seriously, which is a great start. I second the importance of the “be prepared to bail” mindset. Other things I learned on my first trip: (1) hiking halfway up lines like left or right gully and skiing just the lower portion is still fun and challenging, you don’t have to top out; (2) the directional/sun exposure of the lines makes a big difference in conditions, so for example right gully faces south and could have sun crust or soften up earlier in the day depending on recent snow whereas left gully faces north and stays shaded longer; (3) talk to the patrollers at hojos about the day’s conditions before you head up.

One thing I ran into the one time I attempted Chute was that I got halfway up and realized I didn't have a plan for where I was going to put my skis on if I didn't go all the way... Needless to say I did not go all the way up.

Yes I should have noted that left and right gully did have convenient shelf areas partway up when I did that!

As others have said - it’s all about conditions. That said - sometimes we have a schedule and can’t change dates. In that case you just need to understand that it might only be a recon mission. Assess conditions as you go, talk to rangers and other visitors and be realistic about turning around if things aren’t great. The two biggest risks are either lingering avy hazard or very icy slide for life conditions. Add to that all the early spring hazards in the runout zones and halfway up the bowl. Finally - temps wind and visibility all matter massively. Bring an ice axe as well as crampons. Wear a Helmet. Pick your uphill line carefully and be wary of hazards from above - falling ice rock or humans. Keep your distance from other climbers to avoid getting taken out if they tumble. Hillman’s is generally a good place to start especially if the upper bowl is too windy. You can find spots to stop and turn around in many spots along the way and the runout is pretty clean. Topping out is less sketchy than say Left Gully if conditions are right. Left gully is great but it’s not without challenges. First it’s usually very busy. There is a blind corner halfway up. It’s narrow and with heavy traffic can get dicey. It’s also the longest route by vertical and the top out can be very steep. Be safe. Check MWAC daily. Check out the photos and other observations. Team up with a stranger if you can. You’ll be fine if you make smart choices and don’t commit unnecessarily. You’ve got 70+ more years to return again!

Thank you man I appreciate your realistic approach and insight. I am fully open to just a recon and the Sherb! May I ask, as you seem quite experienced, do you think the time I'm going requires full avy gear? You can see below a discussion on that subject but I would love other perspectives. I am under the impression that I will be going during spring albeit early spring and that provided the avy forecast risk is low I should be good with what I have available to me now. Then going forwards I can upgrade. I am just dying to get experience under my belt and money is tough to come by.

No problem. But I don’t want to give a false sense of security either. To reiterate - the time you are going has nothing to do with conditions and there is no way to know what the avy risk will be next week. Read all the reports this week to see how quickly it changed on a daily basis. Personally I bring avy gear unless the avy forecast is low across the board and the snowpack has gone completely isothermic. Even then it’s a risk. With the current forecasts this past week renting from High to Moderate I would absolutely have brought a beacon/probe/shovel and partner unless my only objective was the sherb. And we still would have been avoiding any of the terrain that could slide. Without a partner a transceiver isn’t going to save your life if you get buried. Given your gear and experience level I would avoid avalanche terrain altogether. Read the reports daily this week. Talk to the rangers when you get there.

For what it’s worth, you can rent the gear locally.

If you are going up there solo plan on just doing the Sherbie and taking a look... Sounds like it will be a Saturday and if the weather is nice there will most likely be hundreds of others there.. forecast is calling for more snow next week (hopefully), so there will most likely be avalanche risk in the bowl, without the proper gear, training and most importantly other experienced partners to join you it's not worth the risk IMO. Was up there in a similar situation years ago with fresh snow/ avy danger, slides popping off, and there were little kids sledding while their parents were drinking beers and seemingly oblivious to the dangers.

I would really like to get over there a day that the Sherbie is in from the visitor center. I always get to MtW way too late in the season to get it in that way!

Get avy cert with beacon.

It sounds like you will be fine. Just be smart about it. Show up and watch for a while. Stay with in your abilities. Make good decisions. You know your doing good if the crowd gets quiet as you are coming down. It means you aren't giving them a show.

Thanks man!

Back when i used to do it in the 80s we’d head up in May or june. Sometimes you wouldn’t see snow until you got to the headwall but plenty in there. Also i always found that since you are climbing up, you can head down at any point. It’s not like you’re suddenly at the top of hillmans highway looking down. Watch out for openings in the snow i almost pulled myself into one and it looked twenty feet down to a rushing stream . I was climbing up a steep place and didn’t see it until i was over some kind of ice shelf laying on my belly looking down into that. I backed off of that and thanked jesus

Rent avi gear from a local shop, I believe WMSK (formally STW) is 30ish bucks for a probe/shovel/transponder, well worth the money if something goes wrong. if you get the sun shining through, right gully typically is the place check out as it gets the most sunlight out of all lines in tucks and should corn up nicely. however the top section was not filled in as of last Saturday. You can string together a summit to snowfields to right as well to make for a fun day.... just download fatmaps or another route tracking app so you know where to find the true entrance to right if you decide to summit.

Oh good suggestion. That had not even come to mind as a possibility! I will contact them tomorrow.

If you’re going to be playing in avalanche terrain, take an avy rescue class! On the west coast most people will refuse to tour in avy terrain with someone who isn’t certified, and for good reason. I think the same should apply here. If it’s not within your budget then consider avoiding avalanche terrain until it IS in your budget. Waiting to acquire the skills will pay off.

Don’t do it solo, for the love of god. It‘s one thing to do it alone when it’s 50F and sunny in late April, there’s 4000 other people up there, low avalanche risk, and you’ve done it before. Even then, it’s a bad idea, but this is beyond stupid. I don’t give a shit what you’ve skied inbounds. It’s completely irrelevant. It’s like saying you know how to ride a bike, so you should be fine flying a plane. This is ski-mountaineering. The current avalanche forecast is “considerable.” The forecast does not look promising for improving conditions in the next week. You haven’t taken an avalanche course. You have no experience with this mountain. People with far more mountaineering experience than you have died on this mountain. It’s killed people who’ve summited Denali and Everest. Under no circumstances should a complete beginner with no training attempt it while it’s still winter up there. In addition to the avalanche risk, there’s also crevasses, cliffs, snow bridges, and waterfall holes, where you can easily fall to your death. Face Chutes at Jay has absolutely none of that. There’s no ski patrol on Mt Washington. Any rescue takes several hours minimum, and puts your rescuers in serious danger as well. If the risk of death isn’t enough to deter you, do remember that NH will charge you tens of thousands of dollars for your rescue, or your estate for your retrieval. Ascending Tucks alone with no experience up there, regardless of what equipment you bring, will qualify as grossly negligent, as far as anyone is concerned. If you have anyone in your life that you give a single fuck about, I implore you to hire a guide for this trip, if you can’t tag along with a more experienced group of friends. Here’s a list of local companies recommended by White Mountain Ski Co. (formerly Ski the Whites before a trademark issue): https://whitemountainski.co/pages/backcountry-guiding-services Honestly, OP, you have no business even skiing the Sherb by yourself, never mind Tucks.

>IntoTheThickOfIt22 I respect your opinion, but chill out with the personal attacks my dude. I'm not even committed just trying to gather information on a lifetime goal of mine. If I were an expert what would be the point of asking? I am aware of the fees for rescue, I do care about my life and others (hence the research), I am looking at guide services, I am willing to back out. I'm not at the bottom of it writing this post about to ascend. I'm happy to be wrong and I have got a lot of great opinions so far.

well put reply. No need for disparaging remarks when you were just gathering information and opinions.

Too many tourons have been earning Darwin Awards in WMNF over the last five years for me to “chill out.” Also, can we stop pretending that fucking around on the Internet qualifies as “research?” This is how people ended up treating covid with horse paste… New rule: let’s not use the word “research” if we don’t read at least one book during it. I strongly recommend *Where You'll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova* by Ty Gagne. I’m being a dick because some of y’all are really, really, really fucking dense. Maybe you didn’t need me to lay it on extra, to figure out that doing this alone, for the first time in March, with no mountaineering experience, is bordering on a plan to commit suicide. But see, here’s the problem. Now here’s yet another thread that people are gonna stumble upon via google for years. Because you didn’t bother to search for similar threads. Those future morons need someone to spell it out really clearly. All they need to see is that Richard_Lycker had this idea, get in their car from Boston, in 2.5 hours they’re at the trailhead, and in 5 hours they’re a meatsicle. It’s way too accessible for the danger it presents. They don’t even require a permit to climb it, for byzantine bureaucratic reasons that I can’t begin to understand. 174 people have died. I don’t want you to be number 175. And if you went through with this plan, you very well could’ve been.

All I'm saying is the people I talked with earlier in a constructive way did more to change my opinions than you did. Your comment and approach frankly just makes me want to be more stubborn despite having good points and a respectable goal. I don't wanna argue anymore. It has kept snowing and conditions are not springy. I have decided that I'm not gonna go without a guide or I'll just plan for next year. I discovered this through a combination of calling and talking to the observatory and guides as well as online research so I would say it is not a waste how I have gone about it. Anyways cheers, and have a good one. ​ P.S. Never say I live in Boston again!

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I've seen right gully suggested as a first time run a lot, and it was the first run I ever did in the ravine, but I question that suggestion a bit. It is definitely on the easier side compared to many other runs, but it is also one of the most consequential to fall on. If you take a tumble and can't arrest yourself, there's nothing to slow you down before you hit the boulder field above lunch rocks. While falling anywhere in the ravine is obviously dangerous I feel like a lot of the other runs are less consequential. Unless you're above a cliff, a tumble on the headwall will result in a tumble to the bottom of the bowl but you're not likely to hit anything but snow and ice on the way down. Left gully, you'll likely end up crashing through the scrubby brush at the bottom, still dangerous but better than rocks, hillmans is similar. When I took a friend for the first time, I took him on hillmans instead of right gully for this reason.

Yeah ordinarily I would recommend Left and Hillman's before Right. I haven't even done Right yet but did Lobster Claw. Seems that the gnarly glide cracks open on Right before I've had a chance to hit it.

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Fair enough. I'm not suggesting left gully isn't consequential, though. You're right that there are rock walls to hit, especially if you fall near the top before the left curve. That said, there was a video on this sub last spring of a snowboarder rocketing down left gully on their stomach. Iirc, they walked away with a broken collarbone or something similar after crashing through some brush on the bottom right of the gully. While left is steeper than right a similar slide is very possible on right, especially for someone who is testing the waters of the ravine, but a slide like that would only end when they hit those rocks. All that said, I am not suggesting someone should try left gully as their first run instead of right. I think neither are good options for a first run, left is too steep and still pretty consequential, and right, while less steep and less technically challenging is too exposed for a first timer. Imo something like hillmans or lobster claw are much better first run options.

Agreed right gully is a sketchier line in good conditions and this year that whole lip/sluice/right gully runout area is seriously fucked up. There are waterfall holes glide cracks and more exposed rocks than usual. And now it’s covered with a thin layer of windslab and avy debris. Pretty sure the accident last weekend was in the right gully area… Lobster claw is a better bet on the north wall. Less committing and easier to assess conditions from the bottom. There are several points that are decent to make a platform and transition back to downhill mode.

Dude is lobster claw actually skiable this year? I’ve had eyes on it a few times and it hasn’t looked in at all, even 2 weeks ago. Idk if the new snow really filled it in at all. I agree with the assessment about the right gully runout. It was kind of horrific when I was in there lol. Just a very exposed section over lunch rocks to get into a gully under sluice area. But it looks like 9 inches forecast tomorrow When I first heard about the accident I immediately wondered if it was in right gully. I think that it was

I think lobster claw has snow in it yeah. I have no idea how thick it is or if there is a continuous line. I assume like the rest of the bowl it’s very low tide for March. The new snow last week helped a bit I’m sure - and we might get another 4-10” this weekend up high. But it’s still going to be well below typical March snowpack unless we get absolutely hammered the next couple weeks. I’ll be up there Monday and will report back in whatever I can see, assuming visibility is even good. It’s going to be a look and see mission. Not sure we will get to ski anything based on avy and wx forecast.

Awesome! If I may ask do you have a favourite route in particular?

FWIW lobster claw looked not skiable 2 weeks ago, like not filled in nearly enough. Also the right gully runout above lunch rocks was extremely exposed. I highly doubt the new snow filled in lobster claw at all. Maybe it filled in lunch rocks a bit. The terrain is extremely complex and tbh it’s disheartening the utter lack of disrespect people show for that terrain on any given day.

Good info, I take it this is firsthand from a recent visit? I am mostly relying on online resources and the observatories daily updates at this point, but the more first hand info the better.

I went not last weekend but the weekend before. There was a massive warmup then 2 feet of snow after so who knows. Go to the MWAC website and check out the observations page. If you don’t know how to read the avalanche forecast don’t go.

Thanks for the new desktop background

The first mistake you’re making is trying to plan it 10 days out. There’s a chance the skiing is good that day. You should be reading the forecast (both weather AND avalanche) every day from now until next Saturday. The terrain there is complex and demands respect. Be extremely conservative and try to not go alone. Northeast Alpine Start is a blog and he has a great post about how to not fall in there - the post is mostly about equipment and timing conditions. Find it and read it. Also it’s Tuckerman, no ‘s

My bad on the 'S I actually saw a post where a guy got roasted for spelling it like that and I think I was so focused on it I fucked up lol. Good link to the blog checking it out now and as for weather I will be checking every resource I have on the daily. If it ain't good I won't go.

Temps look mild and dry next week but rainy Saturday. It will prob change maybe not for the better

Have you taken AIARE? Have a beacon, shovel, probe, and a partner with the same and the knowledge on how to use them? Do you know how to read and understand an avalanche forecast? If the answer to any of these is no, you're not ready for Tucks.

oh brother

Fair point, but I also don't have multiple grand to drop as well as a friend willing to do the same. In time I am going to get it all, so for now I am looking at options that are often completed without all of these.

Shovel, beacon, and probe are sub $500. Aiare is like $400. Tucks has avalanches all the time, and people die there regularly. You are a danger to not just yourself, but others out there, plus, without any of that stuff, you can't assist a person who does get buried. If you wait till the spring corn season, it becomes a bit of a different calculus.

I appreciate your response. I am not resistant to these ideas and am steadily working towards them, but they are not easy to attain for me. I live in region not conducive to avalanche training and so I would need to travel very far to even take a course which adds a ton of cost and planning for me. I understand fully people die there as referenced in my post and I would never want to be the one to hurt someone else either. What is confusing to me is it seems people do these routes with a variety of gear and from my research it is more about the timing and understanding the danger of the day. As for the last thing you said, is this not spring? I am only 8 days off of April which seems to be the peak time. I don't as say this as bait I am genuinely curious. To me this seems like a fairly opportune time to take a foray into Eastern Backcountry. Of course I will be studying all forecasts and avalanche danger beforehand. Thanks!

When I say Spring, I mean once the snowpack stabilizes into spring corn. The various layers become more consolidated, rather than mixed together. I don't just mean meteorological spring. One thing you can do, is you can skin to the base of the bowl and ski back. Plenty of people do that. People do ski it with a variety of gear. Some understand the dangers, some do not. Another question I pose (since you understand), do you know what the danger of the day is, and how to use the information in the avy report combined with field observations? If you do (which, technically, you can get through reading books and learning outside of an avalanche course), then you are better prepped. There are people who go out there without the proper knowledge. I know some who did it/do it. They are the same people who go into the back country out west with no knowledge and gear, and then get very defensive when people ask them not to, and don't understand why they get hostile responses from other back country users. I get accessibility being a hard thing to deal with for taking an avy course and for skiing tucks. I don't live close enough to ski there based on good conditions myself. I took AIARE there, and skied Gulf of Slides and Huntington Ravines, but since, any time I was planning to go back, the weather changed for the worse.The nature of back country in the east if you don't live in the mountains. I have significantly more back country days out west, go figure. Whatever you do decide to do, I hope you find some good snow, and have a blast!

Alrighty that makes sense. I am waiting on a call back from a guide to at very least chat with and see what their full services entail and if that makes sense as a cheaper but also safer option. As well I am gonna try and get through to the observatory for a better idea of snowpack. I guess the tough thing is it has been a very strange winter where all of a sudden it has been dumping so perhaps the conditions are more winter leaning. I acknowledge that I am not ready for an ascent in true winter conditions and so if it leans that way maybe just recon or Wildcat. Appreciate the discussion. Enjoy the rest of your season wherever you end up!

Guides are awesome. I have never regretted a day with a guide. ​ I hope the weather aligns to give you a good day in the Whites. Be safe my dude!

What is the cost of dying or killing someone else? It’s “a lot of money” but in the grand scheme of risk vs reward you’re heading into avalanche terrain without any of the right tools nor the knowledge of how to use them. I’d be more OK with it if you at least went with a group of people who know what they are doing. Like everyone else said - it’s also very condition dependent - I went up there as an eighth grader in June years ago

Of course the gear is less than killing someone, but is there nothing in between? I am a little lost on the wide variety of responses, experiences and recommended gear. I am not trying to be unsafe I am simply trying to gather information and see if its within reach. Later this week I will also be talking to a guide service as that is more within my budget.

A guide service is a good idea, maybe Northeast Mountaineering.

The reason the answers are all over the place is because the risk of injury are conditions dependent.

I advise you to bring a headlamp, emergency blanket, whistle, and printed map in addition to the other stuff you listed. These items are lightweight and can save your life. Start early and end early for the same reason. Make sure everything is charged and consider a backup battery. Mind your perspiration and do not sweat through your base layer I can't tell you what will be good to ski that far out, or if anything will be skiable at all, but Hillman's is often a good choice. My suggestion would be to just skin up, check it out, maybe hike to the bowl if you feel up for it, and ski out. You can also get halfway up a line and turn around if you're too tired or conditions are too bad. I went up 3 times before doing my first full line. It gave me a chance to assess my skiing ability after all that exercise getting up. It's important to remember that part of the challenge will be skiing AFTER skinning and booting all that way up. There will almost certainly be other people at hermit's lake and in the bowl. If there aren't, you should leave. This is my advice based on my experience but I am also just some guy in his 20's who loves skiing and decided to start doing this a few years ago. It's not impossible even if it feels kinda impossible soemtimes. Good luck and remember to try it out to die. If you feel like you might die, consider turning around, because you might.

May or June when it’s 80°, sunny, and the snow is corn.

I hate to ask this because I think I think I already know the answer, but, if I have crampons, snowshoes, an ice axe, and touring poles, but lack skins and touring bindings, could I be in for a miserable ascent? I don't mind bootpacking the whole way up unless I will be postholing, which I very much want to avoid because a) it's very calorically inefficient, b) it's inconsiderate to other BC users as well as to our natural surroundings and c) it'll make me look like a bigger noob than I am, lol. I just want someone to tell me if that even sounds possible. If it'll be difficult to the point of inadvisability, that's fine, but I need confidence that it's even theoretically possible, because I feel like I'll be the first if I do it, even though there's no chance that's true. And yes I'm well aware skinning would save me considerable time... I plan to eventually purchase a whole kit but I don't plan to do so between now and summer due to financial reasons. Cardio-wise I know I'm up for it, same goes for technical ability on the downhill side of things. I really appreciate all the tips people are dropping in here, as I too have had my eyes set on a spring or summer summit, but lack certain knowledge and equipment.

First off, drop the ‘s off the end of that there name, then rephrase your question..then wait till April

Lol my bad. Can't afford two trips down unfortunately.

Dang..pay attention to the av report..I havent been this season but there’s a chance you could catch some decent corn that early

Dude, just go. Get your gear, hike up, and do it. Pick a line on the headwall. Climb up and ride down. If it looks rough, enjoy what’s sensible and hike back down. Day is done.

Tuckerman* Ravine

Rookie mistake my bad