Diagonal Gully

Diagonal Gully is a narrow, committing ski mountaineering line in Huntington Ravine on the NE side of Mount Washington above Pinkham Notch. From the Tuckerman Ravine Trail you cut onto the Huntington fire road, pass Harvard Cabin, then continue to the base of the ravine and skin or boot up the fan toward the obvious diagonal slot right of Central Gully. The line is often obscured from below until you are well onto the fan, so confirm your target before you’re in the fall line.

The gully is a tight couloir that trends northeast from the Alpine Garden, with walls close enough in places that sluff has nowhere to go. Expect sustained steep snow with a constricted section above the Harvard Ice Bulge; depending on the season you may be forced to climb or rappel the ice step or link in from Yale Gully to avoid it. There are very few true safe zones on either ascent or descent, so parties should move one at a time and maintain big spacing.

Because of its NE aspect and position below the Alpine Garden, Diagonal Gully is heavily cross-loaded by wind-transported snow and is a known avalanche path. Slough management is critical; several accidents have involved skiers being carried over the ice cliff at the bottom after being caught in their own wet loose debris. A fall anywhere in the upper half can have terminal consequences over the cliff band. Full ski mountaineering and avalanche kit, solid cramponing and two-tool climbing skills, and conservative group management are mandatory here.

Check the Mount Washington Avalanche Center forecast and recent observations before committing to this line, and be ready to switch to another objective if loading, ice coverage, or overhead hazard are not in your favor. Mount Washington Avalanche Center