Trip report

Tuckerman Ravine Hike and Sled

Hiking/Walk DATE: 02/24/2018 - 02/24/2018

Trip/Event Location: Pinkham Notch, NH
US

Trip Leader(s): Gandalf , JDNnh

Max # People: 15

Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money

Difficulty Level: Moderate to Strenuous

If you have never sledded, you may have not experienced fun! We did this two years ago and vowed we would repeat it again someday. We’ll have a magical climb to Tuckerman's Snow Arch and

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Driving directions to the location and spot to meet at:

The AMC's Pinkham Notch Visitor Center is west off NH 16, about 11 miles north of the junction of NH 16 and US 302 in Glen and about 10.5 miles south of the junction of NH 16 and US 2 in Gorham. Turn in and park in the long parking strip. We'll meet you on the porch of the Visitor Center and Mike will be wearing his Patriots hat.


Trip Report/Photos
Featured Photo

GayOutdoors Winter Olympics! Hill Climb, Luge and Jenga!!! Keep reading to find out who took home the Gold!

We had our Winter Olympics and it was a blast. We hiked up 2.4 miles up the Tuckerman Ravine Trail from the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center with a brief stop to the Hermit Lake Shelter. It was sunny at lower elevations but as we climbed higher it became cold, cloudy and windy. Sylvain from Canada took the Gold medal for the hill climb reaching the Hermit Lake Shelter before anyone else; Jon took the Silver medal for the USA and Rob the Bronze medal for the USA.

We decided not to continue to the Tuckerman Ravine Bowl due to poor visibility and very cold conditions. We had lunch at the Hermit Lake Shelter and then prepared for luging down the Sherburne Ski Trail.

The Sherburne trail is 2.5 mile ski/sled trail. It is very wide (20-30 ft), and is below tree line. Sherburne has a grade all the way to the bottom so we could sled all the way down! It's got a good mix of straight-aways, turns, downhills into snowbanks and little jumps. The round-trip time was 3+ hours with breaks. We took our time heading down. We did not see anyone ski or ride down the whole time we were luging down.

The upper part of the trail was icy with some exposed rock so in certain sections, we just walked down to play it safe. The lower half was softer snow and much easier going – we had a great time.

Most of our sleds were similar and everyone’s sled performed well. However Stephane’s and Rob’s sleds managed to get a crack in them on the descent…probably from going over some exposed rock…thankfully they were OK! Stephane decided to play it safe and hike the rest of the way down; while Rob took some risk with his sled shattering near the end…we have a good video of it.

Jon from USA took the Gold medal being the first with finishing the luge run before anyone else; Mike took the Silver medal for the USA and Rob the Bronze medal for the USA. It was an American sweep!

We all then drove back to the Mad River Lodge, our house, for some wine/beer beside the fireplace with appetizers. We then played a competitive game of Jenga for the Gold medal. Each of us ended up knocking it down so we decided to call it even. All of us took home the Gold for Jenga!!!

Jon cooked a delicious dinner of Pork Loin, mashed potatoes, rice, seasoned pumpkin with maple syrup, homemade Focaccia bread, and a side salad. Rob shared his Mom’s homemade, Canadian recipe of Pork Pie; to die for!  Stephane and Sylvain were from Canada and the rest of us had French-Canadian heritage so it was a memorable weekend getting back to our roots with our Canadian friends.

We threw in the Winter Olympics angle as a joke; everyone was a good sport about it.  This was a non-competitive weekend and we all just went with it. Unbelievably great fun! This was one of the best winter trips we’ve been on. SUCH A BLAST!!! We would totally recommend it again. Definitely worth becoming a tradition.

Click Here If You Would Like To View Our Pictures AND VIDEOS

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What Members Are Saying About This Trip/Event

  • A trip to Tuckerman is always an "excitant" event. Add in a sled down it becomes "fantastique" - JDNnh
  • Funny report, very good pictures. Great and sexy athletes. Sorry for Robert and bravo to Him for not abandoning...luge after it shattered. The US VP (or Oyvay-anka) will regret not being there, distributing medals and wet kisses. Luciano / - Scorpione

Members That Participated

Gandalf

Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous


Thornton, NH


United States

Attended
JDNnh

Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous


Thornton, NH


United States

Attended
Robert.L

Outdoor Fitness Level: Very Strenuous


Bowdoin, ME


United States

Attended
Stephinmtl

Outdoor Fitness Level: Moderate to Strenuous


Montreal, QC


Canada

Attended
JDNnh Feb 26, 2018 at 9:01 AM

Comment: A trip to Tuckerman is always an "excitant" event. Add in a sled down it becomes "fantastique"

Scorpione Feb 25, 2018 at 6:33 PM

Comment: Funny report, very good pictures. Great and sexy athletes. Sorry for Robert and bravo to Him for not abandoning...luge after it shattered. The US VP (or Oyvay-anka) will regret not being there, distributing medals and wet kisses. Luciano /

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