Tuckerman Avalanche Advisories.

So I was doing some research online and I found an interesting site that gives avalanche advisories for Tuckerman Ravine. These advisories are very important. Every winter and spring, thousands of skiers, mountaineers, and ice climbers set out to climb Mount Washington. These people need to know what the exact snow and ice conditions are, in order to remain safe. Avalanches are pretty common in Tuckerman Ravine, since its slopes are steep, and hundreds of inches of snow fall on the mountain each year. Above, you'll see a picture of an avalanche running down Tuckerman Ravine; to the right of the avalanche itself, you'll see the skier that triggered the slide.

In order to avoid situations like this, the National Forest Service hires Snow Rangers to check Tuckerman Ravine on a daily basis. Each morning they hike into the bowl, dig a snow pit to assess snow stability, and determine whether the avalanche danger is one of five categories: Low, Moderate, Considerable, Certain, or Extreme. The rangers then post their report online, so that the day's hikers and skiers can assess the danger. Despite warnings of avalanche danger, there are no rules governing when someone can and cannot ski and hike on the mountain. Each hear dozens of people are injured in avalanches or icefalls on the mountain, and must be rescued. I've been keeping an eye on the reports, since I'm planning a trip up to the mountain this weekend. I hope to document a typical spring skiing experience for my multimedia journalism project. If temperatures warm and the snow appears safe, I'll be up there.