Numerous Avalanches Hit Mt. Washington, N.H.

On Sunday, March 29, several avalanches occurred throughout New Hampshire’s Presidential Range, notably four human-triggered slides on Mt. Washington and Mt. Monroe. According to a report from the Mt. Washington Avalanche Center, one of these avalanches resulted in injuries.

The first avalanche occurred early Sunday morning, and naturally broke 50cm deep and 20m wide on the Lower Snowfields, below Tuckerman Ravine. “The layer that failed was a weak layer of low-density snow that had fallen on Saturday with very light winds,” Snow Ranger Jeff Lane wrote in his report. “Above this weak layer, a slab had formed as winds increased to around 40mph at times…. Eventually, the size of the slab overcame the strengths that were working to keep it in place.”

The second avalanche of the day, which deposited three to four feet of debris across 400 feet of the Tuckerman Ravine floor. [Photo] Courtesy Mt. Washington Avalanche Center

A second avalanche that morning triggered naturally within Tuckerman Ravine on the Lip, catching Lane in the debris and carrying him several hundred feet downslope to where he came to rest uninjured. Other avalanches that day include an ice-fall-triggered slide on Sluice, a skier-triggered slide in Right Gully and another in Oakes Gulf. In Huntington Ravine, a sixth avalanche occurred in South Gully, hitting a climber who suffered minor injuries.

Over the four days leading up to March 29, the region received seven inches of light-density snow along with 30-40mph westerly winds. The avalanche forecast for Sunday, March 29 listed danger throughout Tuckerman Ravine as Considerable, Moderate and Low, depending on aspect with a primary concern for isolated windslabs. Huntington Ravine was rated with Low danger.

“Avalanches are a natural phenomenon that don’t care who you are, what you know, or how good of a skier/rider/climber you are,” Lane wrote in his report. “I feel fortunate to have escaped unharmed, but that didn’t happen because of something I did or didn’t do…it’s because I was lucky. By sharing this incident, I hope that others can develop a strong sense of respect for these events and do everything possible to not be involved in one.”

Read Lane’s full report at mountwashingtonavalanchecenter.org.