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Avalanche Bulletin
Current Bulletin Danger Scale Locations Safety Meet Your Rangers
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  Date: Saturday, April 6, 2002
Time: 9:22 a.m.

TUCKERMAN AND HUNTINGTON RAVINES HAVE LOW AVALANCHE DANGER. Natural avalanches are very unlikely and human triggered avalanches are unlikely EXCEPT IN ISOLATED POCKETS ON STEEP SNOW COVERED OPEN SLOPES AND GULLIES. Normal caution is advised. THESE POCKETS ABSOLUTELY EXIST SO KEEP YOUR AVALANCHE EYES OPEN! LOW DOES NOT MEAN NONE!! SEEK OUT A USFS SNOWRANGER, MOUNT WASHINGTON VOLUNTEER SKI PATROLER, OR AN AMC TUCKERMAN CARETAKER FOR MORE AVALANCHE INFORMATION FOR SPECIFIC AREAS.

The summit received 1.4 inches (3.5cm) of snow in the past 24 hours with light to moderate winds from the northwest. These winds have loaded some areas causing varying conditions through out the Ravines. There is a mix of old surface, soft slab and hard slab. The crown line from this weeks avalanche in the bowl has been covered indicating that new snow has filled in this area. We went into the Tuckerman yesterday to dig snowpits and take pictures for our website. I will put them on our site this morning so check out the new pictures later today for both Tuckerman and Huntington Ravine.

THE LION'S HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS OPEN. Please stay on route to minimize climber impacts to the area. This is critical to keeping the trail open and protecting the resource. Consider it good practice to move slow and thoughtfully with crampons on rock. This is a difficult steep route so crampons, ice axe, and mountaineering skills are an absolute necessity. MOUNTAINEERING BOOTS, CRAMPONS (not step ins or sidewalk ice knubs), AND AN ICE AXE ARE NEEDED!!

The John Sherburne ski trail has good cover with the thinner snow near the bottom. Expect hard pack conditions unless we get warmer weather. Watch for rocks poking through the snow as melting continues.

 
PLEASE REMEMBER:
 
• Any new precipitation may increase the avalanche danger, this includes wind transported snow.
 
• Obtain latest weather forecast before starting out.
 
• For more information, contact the U.S. Forest Service Snow Rangers: AMC at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center or Hermit Lake Shelters.
 
• This bulletin expires today at midnight and the next avalanche bulletin will be issued tomorrow.

 
Christopher Joosen, Snow Ranger
USDA Forest Service
White Mountain National Forest
(603) 466-2713 TTY (603) 466-2856

TUCKERMAN RAVINE
 Hillman's Highway
   LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Lower Snowfields
      LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Little Headwall
   LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 The Bowl
     LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Headwall
     LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 The Lip
LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Left Gully
  LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Right Gully
LOW AVALANCHE DANGER

HUNTINGTON RAVINE
 Escape Hatch
  LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 South Gully
        LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Odell's Gully
      LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Pinnacle Gully
        LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Central Gully
       LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Yale Gully
         LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 Damnation Gully
LOW AVALANCHE DANGER
 North Gully
    LOW AVALANCHE DANGER

 
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