Monday, March 20th: The Avalanche Center

LIFESAVER.
SEAN: FOR CLIMBERS LIKE MICHAEL
CALDER GILL, CONDITIONS IN
HUNTINGTON RAVINE THIS DAY ARE
NEAR PERFECT.
>> I THINK TODAY WE ARE PROBABLY
GOING TO TAKE IT EASY AND MAYBE
GO UP CENTRAL GULLY OR ODELLS.
WE'RE NOT SURE YET.
WE ARE GOING TO SEE HOW WE FEEL
ONCE WE CROSS THE SNOWFIELD.
SEAN: THIS SITE IS A MAGNET FOR
WINTER CLIMBERS WHO ARE LOOKING
FOR STEEP SNOWY SLOPES AND LOTS
OF ICE, JUST BENEATH THE SUMMIT
OF MOUNT WASHINGTON.
OF ALL THE RISKS HERE, ONE LOOMS
LARGE.
>> EVERY TIME I COME OUT ON THE
SNOW, IT'S ALWAYS IN THE BACK OF
MY MIND.
RISK VERSUS REWARD AS FAR AS, IS
THE CLIMB WORTH IT?
WHAT IS THE CHANCES AS FAR AS,
IS IT WORTH NOT COMING HOME TO
MY FAMILY?
SEAN: WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
AVALANCHES.
THEY ARE A REGULAR OCCURRENCE ON
MOUNT WASHINGTON, ESPECIALLY IN
THE POPULAR HUNTINGTON AND
TUCKERMAN RAVINES.
YOU ASK THESE CLIMBERS, MOST
HAVE A STORY OF BEING CAUGHT.
>> IT GOT UP TO ABOUT MY THIGHS.
AND IT'S SCARY.
IT ALL CAME DOWN.
I GOT THE SLOUGH OF IT.
BUT IT WAS ENOUGH TO REALLY MAKE
YOUR NERVES KIND OF SHAKE.
>> YET, I AM OK.
SEAN: DESPITE SCENES LIKE THIS
ONE FROM TUCKERMAN, THOUSANDS
LOVE TO COME TO MOUNT WASHINGTON
EVERY WINTER TO SKI, HIKE, OR
CLIMB.
THE CONDITIONS ARE CONSIDERED
WORLD-CLASS.
>> AS CHALLENGING AS YOU WOULD
HAVE ANYWHERE IN THE HIMALAYAS
OR DENALI.
SUPER COLD, SUPER WINDY.
SEAN: FRANK CARUS USED TO BE A
GUIDE ON THESE FAMOUS PATHS.
TODAY, HE IS KNOWN AS THE LEAD
SNOW RANGER.
HE LET US TAG ALONG TO SEE WHAT
HIS JOB IS LIKE.
FRANK AND HIS PARTNER HELON
HOFFER WORK FOR THE NATIONAL
FOREST SERVICE, AND PART OF
THEIR JOB IS TO RUN THE MOUNT
WASHINGTON AVALANCHE CENTER.
>> WE'RE THE ONLY AVALANCHE
CENTER ON THE EAST COAST, BUT WE
ARE CERTAINLY NOT THE ONLY PLACE
IN THE EAST THAT HAS AVALANCHES.
SEAN: TO KEEP PEOPLE INFORMED,
THE AVALANCHE CENTER HAS DAILY
UPDATE BOARDS RIGHT ON THE
MOUNTAIN.
THEY ALSO DOCUMENT THE
CONDITIONS WITH VIDEOS AND
PHOTOS AND POST THEM ON THE
INTERNET.
>> THERE'S A LOT OF POCKETS OF
THIS WIND SLAB.
WE'RE LIKELY TO SEE A LOT OF
AVALANCHE ACTIVITY.
SEAN: THE REALITY IS, DEEP SNOW
ON THESE SLOPES CAN BE DEADLY.
>> WE HAVE AVALANCHE
INVOLVEMENTS EVERY YEAR.
WE'VE HAD EIGHT FATALITIES IN
THE PAST 30 YEARS, SAY, ON MOUNT
WASHINGTON.
SEAN: ALMOST EVERY DAY, THE SNOW
RANGERS WILL RIDE UP THE EAST
SIDE OF MOUNT WASHINGTON ON
TRAILS JUST BIG ENOUGH FOR THE
SNOWCAT.
THEIR MISSION -- TEST SNOW
DANGERS.
>> HERE WE ARE IN HUNTINGTON
RAVINE.
DOING SOME STABILITY TESTS.
WE ARE EXAMINING THE SNOW
STRUCTURE AND LOOKING FOR WEAK
LAYERS.
SEAN: WIND, RAIN, OR MELTING CAN
LEAVE WEAK LAYERS THAT CAN BE
HIDDEN UNDER NEW SNOW, SO THEY
TEST DIFFERENT AREAS IN THE
RAVINES.
>> CLASSIC SET UP FOR HARDNESS
LAB -- FOR HARD SLAB ON TOP OF A
WEEK LAYER.
SEAN: TO SEE HOW STRONG IT IS,
THEY CUT COLUMNS OF SNOW, THEN
USE A SET PATTERN OF SHOVEL PASS
TO TEST HOW SOLID IT IS.
THIS LAYER IS PRETTY SOLID, 21
HITS.
THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS
CONSIDERED LOW, BUT CONDITIONS
UP HERE CAN CHANGE FAST, AND
PEOPLE CLIMBING AND SKIING KNOW
TO CHECK EVERY DAY.
>> A LOT OF TIMES, A LOT OF
PEOPLE CAN BE ON THAT SLOPE AND
NOT TRIGGER ANYTHING, AND THEN
ONE PERSON CAN FIND THAT THIN
SPOT WHERE THEIR WEIGHT TRIGGERS
THE AVALANCHE.
SEAN: IF SOMEONE IS BURIED BY AN
AVALANCHE, THE SNOW RANGERS HAVE
A SPECIAL TOOL.
FIVE-YEAR-OLD LILY IS A TRAINED
AVALANCHE DOG.
SHE CAN SNIFF OUT PEOPLE BURIED
UNDER SEVERAL FEET OF SNOW.
>> SO FAR, SHE'S BEEN USED IN
AN ACTUAL AVALANCHE ONCE TO RULE
OUT THE VICTIMS, MAKE SURE THERE
WASN'T ANYONE CAUGHT.
SEAN: ON THIS DAY, ONLY A FEW
SKIERS WERE TAKING ON THE FAMOUS
TUCKERMAN RAVINE, BUT WE DID SEE
SOME DRAMATIC FALLS.
WHICH IS A REMINDER -- THE SNOW
RANGERS HAVE MANY OTHER TASKS.
THAT INCLUDES RESCUING INJURED
PEOPLE.
>> WE HAVE 20 TO 25 SEARCH AND
RESCUE CALLS A YEAR, RANGING
FROM A SPRAINED ANKLE THAT NEEDS
A SNOWMOBILE RIDE DOWN TO A
MULTI-CASUALTY INCIDENT.
SEAN: EVERY PERSON WHO COMES UP
HERE IS REMINDED TO HAVE THE
PROPER SAFETY GEAR AND GET
TRAINING IN AVALANCHE SAFETY.
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CHECK THE SNOW
DANGERS, AND KNOW ANYONE CAN GET
CAUGHT IN A SLIDE.
INCLUDING THE LEAD SNOW RANGER.
FRANK CARUS LEARNED FIRSTHAND
WHAT NATURE CAN DO.
>> IT'S A MOMENT OF PANIC WHEN
YOU FEEL REALLY SMALL AND
HELPLESS.
IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT OF SNOW TO
DO THAT.
YOU GO WHERE THE SNOW WANTS TO
PUT YOU.

Monday, March 20th: The Avalanche Center

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