Mount Washington Avalanche Center

After a short stint without any good views of Tucks I was impressed today by how things have continued to change. A LARGE chunk of the Sluice ice broke off and left a sizeable crater in the snowfield above Lunch Rocks. No one witnessed it that I know of and I'm always glad to see this piece come down without serious injury. Lunch Rocks is once again a reasonable place to hang out though you still want to keep an eye on the smaller pieces of ice that are lingering above.

The crevasse problem has now caught up and will soon pass icefall as the biggest hazard to visitors. Most areas have been developing cracks that grow by the day and are starting to become an issue to anyone passing through. The Lip is by far the worst of these areas and I forsee us closing the Lip and Tuckerman Ravine Trail (from Lunch Rocks to the rim) sometime next week. In my opinion there is no reason to go anywhere near the area unless you're looking to practice your crevasse rescue skills before an upcoming trip to the Cascades!

The Sherburne Trail has withstood thousands of descents this spring and is getting closer to giving up the ghost. Today we moved the rope and closed section up to the highest cut-off. In the section that remains open there is walking to be done but the turns to steps ratio is still favorable to those trying to squeak out every last bit of riding/skiing. I would expect this section of trail to remain open for another week or so but its days are numbered. The same goes for the Lion Head Winter Route which will soon be put to bed in favor of the Lion Head Summer Trail. Stay tuned to the daily advisory for status changes.

This weekend's weather looks like it could go either way but right now we're on the brighter side of things. Weather models have been changing every 12 hours and no two are in perfect agreement. It appears as though we'll dodge the majority, if not all, of the rain that pushes through the southern part of the state tomorrow. We'll probably see cloudy skies, a threat of precip and temperatures that are close enough to the freezing mark that any showers that develop may spit rain, snow or a bit of both. A ridge of high pressure will bully the junk out of our area for Sunday and with fingers crossed we expect to see mostly sunny skies with warming temperatures. Hopefully Mom's not reading this but if I had my choice on what day to come up.... (Sorry Nancy!)

So there it is in a nutshell. All things considered, we're lucky to still have some good long runs like Hillman's, less of the giant ice looming over us at Lunch Rocks and even a piece of the Sherbie to enjoy on the way out. Sneak a card under your mother's door before the sun rises on Sunday morning and get some last turns in before you wax your board and nelect it for six months!