Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington is a springtime legend for East Coast skiers and snowboarders, with the warming weather causing a massive increase in people making the hike to shred the bowl. With how much of a party the area becomes, it can be easy to forget the serious spring backcountry hazards that exist on the mountain.
Wet avalanches are one of many potential hazards that exist on the mountain. When the weather warms and free water begins to flow the snow’s strength is decreased, causing these slides. They can occur both as cohesive slabs or as loose snow. They tend to move slower than dry snow avalanches but their heavy weight can make them powerful very difficult to escape.
As the weather continues to warm and more and more loose wet avalanches and “sluffs” occur, deep trenches can be created in the snowpack creating yet another hazard for skiers, snowboarders, and other recreators to keep an eye out for. Read more about wet avalanches below.
Mount Washington Avalanche Center Identifying and Mitigating Wet Avalanches:
Red Flags:
- Rain falling on snow (especially dry snow).
- Warming above freezing, especially the first warming of a previously dry snow.
- Loose wet avalanches indicate warming, destructive wet slab avalanches may be possible.
How can they be identified and mitigated?
- Read the avalanche forecast and general bulletin for updated information about when and where to expect these avalanches.
- Conduct snowpack assessments to investigate the presence or potential to encounter this avalanche problem. Look for melting snow, rain or strong solar radiation.
- Expect loose wet avalanches to have a lot of power when moving across your skis and try to avoid the main flow.