The iconic Tuckerman Inferno race originally scheduled to take place this coming weekend has been postponed until April 11.
The Inferno was originally scheduled to take place Saturday, March 21, but organizers announced in a social media post yesterday that current conditions on Mount Washington are not good enough to run a race that would be safe and worthy of the Inferno.
Organizers said conditions were hurt by recent torrential rains that were immediately followed by a refreeze. They currently can’t find slopes that would be suitable for steep skiing, and they said steep skiing is the core of the Inferno.
The Tuckerman Inferno is a world-class ski mountaineering race that features challenging climbing and skiing around Tuckerman Ravine. The event has been held annually in the White Mountains of New Hampshire since 2000.
While the actual course is determined in the weeks leading up to the race, organizers originally said this year’s racers will start at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center, summit Mount Washington with a technical, roped-in ice climb section up the bowl, then descend Tuckerman Ravine — with the added challenge of alpine gates — continue down the Little Headwall to the base of Hillman’s Highway, and then finally climb and descend Hillman’s to the Sherburne and back to the visitor center.
All proceeds from the event support the Mount Washington Avalanche Center Foundation, which supports the Mount Washington Avalanche Center by enhancing and expanding avalanche education opportunities, advocating for responsible and sustainable backcountry recreation in New Hampshire’s unique alpine ecosystems, and expanding the reach of U.S. Forest Service avalanche forecasts and messages.
Organizers said they hope the new April 11 date will bring better conditions. They said it will be out of the current transitional season from winter to spring, and longer days will hopefully mean more softening of the snow and there will be a better chance of good “corn skiing” for the race.
Organizers said they hope skiers take from this the importance of skiing to conditions rather than skiing to the date, which they said means when conditions aren’t suitable, for safety reasons it is best to not ski that day.
