New Hampshire Backcountry Skier Killed After Falling 600 ft During Overnight Ice Storm

The US Forest Service has confirmed that a backcountry skier was killed after falling about 600 ft vertically down the ravine in the afternoon over the weekend on New Hampshire's Mount Washington.

According to National Weather Service data, hard and icy conditions on Saturday turned the bowl deadly, with temperatures in the early afternoon reaching the low 20s and getting colder as the day progressed.

Skier Dies on New Hampshire's Mount Washington

Skiers enjoy an unmelted snowpack where they are able to ski down the slope of Mount Washington, standing at an elevation of 6,288.2 ft, in the Presidential Range of the White Mountains in New Hampshire on June 12, 2020.
(Photo : JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

According to a press release from the service on Sunday, Madison Saltsburg fell down Tuckerman Ravine on Mount Washington and suffered fatal traumatic injuries during the fall. The service also reported that two other skiers sustained serious injuries after falling and hitting rocks and ice.

A telephone message to a forest service spokesperson asking for information about Saltsburg was not immediately returned on Sunday.

The day of the incidents sparked hours-long, nighttime search operations as teams attempted to remove Saltsburg's body from the mountain and rescue the injured skiers. The rescuers were forced to fight the worsening conditions when heavy and wet snow began to fall on Saturday night.

Colleen Mainville, a spokesperson for the US Forest Service, said that the snow rangers and emergency personnel were on the mountain late last night and were exhausted.

Tuckerman Ravine is particularly popular in the spring when the sun melts the snow. There is a lively atmosphere on some days as hundreds of skiers and snowboarders make the 3-mile (5-km) hike to the ravine.

It can take another hour from the ravine to kick boot steps in the wall to reach the top. However, risks such as exposed crevasses, avalanches, and rocks have resulted in several deaths.

According to the service, Saltsburg and her skiing companion experienced hard and icy snow surfaces because of the recent low temperatures and insufficient snowfall. The service said the mountain had exposed crevasse holes, and conditions were unforgiving.

Mainville said Forest Service rangers and a team from the Mount Washington avalanche center also rescued two other skiers with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The highest summit in the northeast, Mount Washington, rises to a height of 6,288 feet (1,916.6 meters) and is well-known for its unpredictable weather.

Unprepared Hikers in New Hampshire

Two New England hikers have pled guilty to counts of reckless behavior and agreed to pay penalties after being rescued by rescuers from an off-trail area in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

The hikers, a 25-year-old from Windsor, New Hampshire, and a 22-year-old from Lowell, Massachusetts, will each pay a $48 penalty assessment and $200 fine after pleading their charges in the 2nd Circuit Court of Littleton, New Hampshire, down from misdemeanors to violations.

In Franconia Notch State Park, the two went off-trail in the afternoon on June 11 and soon lost contact. Shortly afterward, one of the hikers called emergency services, informing them that he was dangerously near to a long fall, "stuck" beneath a ledge high on the slope.

Responders spotted him on Hounds Hump, a peak on the east side of Franconia Notch State Park, after following his cell phone signal.