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Avalanche Bulletin
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  Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2002
Time: 9:45 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.

With summit temperatures hovering around freezing today the snow may or may not soften up. Right now in Tuckerman Ravine the temperature is 30 degrees F and the snow has a frozen crust. This makes for poor skiing but great sliding. If you fall on this frozen surface on a
 
 
WARNING
ICE FALL DANGER
MASSIVE BLOCKS OF ICE THE
SIZE OF AUTOMOBILES
TRAVEL AT HIGH SPEEDS,
HIT ROCKS, AND SEND DEADLY
SHRAPNEL IN ALL DIRECTIONS
———————————
BE ALERT - BE AWARE
BE ICE SMART
 
WHITE MOUNTAIN National Forest
 
steep slope chances are you will have a very rapid uncontrolled decent. Let's hope the stopping is slow and collision free.

Crevasses are begining to form on the headwall. These can become very deep with a couple that reach about 80 feet. There is undermined snow on the little headwall and the lip. On the lip, stay close to climbers right as the waterfall is on climbers left and you want to avoid being anywhere near it. It may be covered with a skim coat of snow. Remember,CLIMB UP WHAT YOU PLAN ON COMING DOWN TO AVOID ANY SURPRISES

BE AWARE OF FALLING ICE! Due to it being both winter and spring up here this hazard will come and go with warm and cold temperatures. When it's warm and sunny this hazard will increase and when it's 10 degrees F and blowing at 100 mph the hazard will subside. Each year over 1000 tons of ice forms on the headwall in Tuckerman Ravine. In the spring it all comes down, often in pieces larger than cars. Many folks have been injured and even killed by falling ice. Pay attention to where you are, do not linger under ice. Have a plan in mind about what you will do if ice comes down. Station yourself near a large rock to duck behind in the event of ice fall. BE ICE SMART!

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. 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.

 
Brad Ray, 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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