# "T for Two:" Tuckerman Ravine, June 13, 2009



## thetrailboss (Jun 15, 2009)

*Date(s) Skied: *  June 13, 2009

*Resort or Ski Area: * Tuckerman Ravine

*Conditions: * Corn.

*Weather:*  Sunny, highs in the 50's and 60's, partial sunshine and an occasional sprinkle.  

*Trip Report: *  At long last I can say that I skied Tuckerman Ravine.  It had been a long time coming...at least two missed opportunities, but with the weather looking great and some good recon provided by Austin, as well as good timing for me, I could not resist.  I was glad to be meeting snowmonster, who was a bit more familiar with Tux than me.  

We met at Pinkham at 9am under blue skies.  Perfect.  By 9:30 we were hiking.  We took a leisurely pace up, seeing that neither one of us was in any hurry.  

Initial recon, as provided by some snowboarders coming down, was good.  "Sluice is nice.  Well, it's the only game in town."  







Soon we were within sight:






Before we arrived at HoJo's, we ran into a 73-year old man named Bob, who had convinced his daughters to come along with him and act as his sherpas.  We spent some time with Bob--he has spent his retired years skiing--100 days last season at Jackson Hole.  He had never been to Tuckerman and in the words of Warren Miller, "if you don't do it this season, you'll only be one year older when you do!"  D and C took turns carrying his boots while he had his skis on his pack.






We also met another older gentleman who had his whole family hiking with him to HoJo's for his birthday.  Their birthday traditions were, um, interesting:



We were getting stoked:








About 30 minutes later we arrived, just shy of 1:30pm to find no crowds and plenty of snow to play on!











After stowing the beer, I had to get some turns...starting with the Lower Snowfields:








All the meanwhile, Bob was quietly getting ready for his first run at Tux:






He hiked almost to the top of Sluice...a bit higher than me...and let it rip.  






I found myself on a perch about 2/3 the way up Sluice where I watched him ski down, and then I hit the run.  The snow was perfect.  The pitch was steep, but you had no obstacles, so you could let them rip.  When I got down, both Bob and I were reeling from the run...he only made one, but he was so pumped.  After exchanging handshakes and contact info, he called it quits while I went up for more.  Snowmonster did as well.  

We each got 4-5 runs in...with me skiing from the same spot down.  We had the ravine to ourselves for most of the day.  We shared a beer at about 3:30pm and headed out at 4:30.  






We did see some obviously lost hikers come very close to killing themselves by attempting to descend the headwall and the wet cliffs.  That was a bit unnerving and we reported them to the HoJo's caretaker.


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## thetrailboss (Jun 15, 2009)

More pics:

A random ripper shows how it is done:











Snowmonster v. Sluice:


















Apres Ski...Tux Style!






Snowmonster representin':






Trailboss on Sluice:



And the "idiots" trying to come down the cliffs....don't try this at home!






We made our way down to Pinkham and got there just shy of 7pm.  What a day!  My first time and I certainly want to go back again!  






"Time for Tuckerman" and a new birthday hat:






Thanks to Snowmonster for coming.  What an amazing place and an amazing day!  :beer:


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## andyzee (Jun 15, 2009)

Well done, reps to the two of you! Very steep? Sure don't look it, but I know it's steeper than anything you'll find at a resort.


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## snoseek (Jun 15, 2009)

Well done! After seeing that I'm no longer on the fence about whether to go find some snow tomorrow or not.


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## powhunter (Jun 15, 2009)

Good job TB !!!  Your addicted now Il bet!!

steveo


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## thetrailboss (Jun 15, 2009)

powhunter said:


> Good job TB !!!  Your addicted now Il bet!!
> 
> steveo



Yep I am!  If it was not for a wedding this weekend, I'd be probably up there again!  What a cool place and easy for me to get to!


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## wa-loaf (Jun 15, 2009)

Nice work!


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## RootDKJ (Jun 15, 2009)

I love how awesome TR's just show up when you least expect it.

Nicely done.


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## Johnskiismore (Jun 15, 2009)

Nice work!  I'm envious!


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## snowmonster (Jun 16, 2009)

Nice, trailboss! Thanks for making me look good. =) It was a pleasure skiing with you last Saturday and I look forward to more adventures. I'll post some photos I took on my phone.


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## Glenn (Jun 16, 2009)

Nice work!!!


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## Greg (Jun 16, 2009)

Nice pics and vid. Looks like a ton of snow up there. It's been a cool spring overall.


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## thetrailboss (Jun 16, 2009)

Yes, lots of snow, but it is being undermined by streams and the upper part of Sluice will be toast by the weekend I am afraid.  Lower Snowfields and a portion of the steeper pitches are still skiable.


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## snowmonster (Jun 16, 2009)

Some pictures I took on my phone from "Trailboss and Snowmonster's Excellent Adventure:"

Waterfalls on the Headwall:





Sluice looks good:





Still lots of snow on the Bowl floor:





The remains of the day:





Trailboss ripping:













Tuckerman Ravine: EXCELLENT!


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## skidmarks (Jun 17, 2009)

Well done!


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## ComeBackMudPuddles (Jun 19, 2009)

snowmonster said:


> Some pictures I took on my phone from "Trailboss and Snowmonster's Excellent Adventure:"





nice shots, thanks for posting.  your cellphone has a nice camera in it!


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## riverc0il (Jun 19, 2009)

Way to get at the goods, you guys! I am considering a July assault for patch skiing.



thetrailboss said:


> Yes, lots of snow, but it is being undermined by streams and the upper part of Sluice will be toast by the weekend I am afraid. Lower Snowfields and a portion of the steeper pitches are still skiable.


Just as a point of clarification, the Lower Snowfields are considered the area below Duches and Empress and is snowless currently.


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## thetrailboss (Jun 19, 2009)

riverc0il said:


> Way to get at the goods, you guys! I am considering a July assault for patch skiing.
> 
> 
> Just as a point of clarification, the Lower Snowfields are considered the area below Duches and Empress and is snowless currently.



Ah, OK.  Thanks.


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## bigbog (Jun 19, 2009)

*Wow....Day #1 !*

Nice work documenting TB!   One's first day @Tuckerman is a  definite event on the _outdoor_ calendar to be remembered.


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## snowmonster (Jun 19, 2009)

ComeBackMudPuddles said:


> nice shots, thanks for posting.  your cellphone has a nice camera in it!



Thanks, ComeBackMudPuddles. It does a good job.

rivercoil, thanks for the correction and since the Lower Snowfields gets overlooked in favor of its steeper neighbors, here's a few shots (from my camera phone) from a trip I took there on April 11, 2009:

Looking down the Lower Snowfields with Wildcat in the background:





Looking towards Boott Spur (?):









The rocks above me:





...and lastly, the Sherburne Trail.





It's kind of sad to see this season finally slipping away.


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## maineskier69 (Jun 24, 2009)

Nice job both of you.  Great shots and vids to boot!


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