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MEREDITH, N.H. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Tuckerman Ravine, the famous snow bowl on Mount Washington that attracts many of the best skiers and snowboarders was the site of a tragedy on Saturday, after the death of a backcountry skier. The victim was identified as 20-year-old Madison Saltsburg, who was from Pennsylvania, and a junior college student at the University of Vermont, according to the Associated Press.
According to the U.S. Forest Service, Saltsburg fell about 600 vertical feet (183 meters) on Saturday afternoon in very steep terrain and hard, icy conditions. Two others were also injured on Saturday after suffering traumatic injuries from rocks and ice, but are expected to survive, the U.S. Forest Service added in a statement.
This incident marks the latest in a series of harrowing events in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, known for extreme weather and dangerous natural conditions.
Tuckerman Ravine is a well-known spot for backcountry skiers, especially in spring as the weather warms and the snow gradually softens.
A day prior to the incident at Tuckerman’s Ravine, a 23-year-old hiker from Kentucky had been rescued after slipping off trail and into the Ammonoosuc Ravine where he “fell and hit his head and face, lost one of his sneakers, and eventually became hypothermic,” according to the Fish and Game agency in a statement.
Mount Washington is the tallest peak in the Northeast and its poor weather makes rescues quite common.
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