Anyone who grew up on the East Coast knows the special place Tuck’s holds in the harts and minds of New Englanders. When the East Coast / West Coast shit talking inevitably starts at an après bar, Tuckerman Ravine is the one place East Coasters can hang their hats on. Here is a great short film about this legendary skiing mecca.
Tuckerman Ravine, located on the eastern slope of New Hampshireʼs Mt. Washington, is considered by many to be the epicenter of the New England skiing tradition. For nearly 100 years, people have made their annual pilgrimage to this backcountry skiing destination. Jeff Leich, Executive Director of the New England Ski Museum offers some historical insight: “The first party on skis that thereʼs any record of in Tuckerman Ravine was a Dartmouth Outing Club group in 1913. In the 1930s, ski racing found a home on the mountain and in 1937 the first Giant Slalom in the United States was held in the ravine.
What makes Tuckermanʼs Ravine and skiing in the area so special? Why has it remained a rite of passage for so many generations of skiers and backcountry enthusiasts? My premise is that beyond spectacle of the weekend party scene, it is the tradition and link to skiing history that adds to the allure of “Tuckʼs.”
Classic stoke of jumping the headwall of Mt. Washington’s Tuckerman Ravine.
