The Lip

The Lip is the steep rollover at the top of Tuckerman Ravine’s headwall on Mount Washington, forming a convex exit from the bowl up toward the Alpine Garden. It sits in the middle elevation band of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center (MWAC) forecast area, in classic east to southeast-facing avalanche terrain above treeline. This feature is a common climbing line and ski exit, but also a frequent start zone for slab avalanches that run to the floor of the ravine.

From the floor of Tuckerman Ravine, you reach The Lip by skinning or booting past Lunch Rocks and trending up the right side of the bowl toward the obvious rollover above the Open Book ice. In firm or icy conditions, most parties switch to crampons and axe well below the convexity; a slip here funnels you into long, no-fall terrain with rock and ice hazards. In late spring, the Forest Service often closes the Tuckerman Ravine Trail section through The Lip due to undermined snow and deep crevasses, so expect to use the Lion Head route instead when that closure is in effect.

The Lip is serious avalanche terrain. Historic incidents here include climber-triggered and hiker-triggered slab avalanches with multiple burials and fatalities, with crown depths on steep (around low-40s degree) slopes and debris running to Lunch Rocks. Wind loading from west and northwest storms rapidly builds dense slabs on this rollover, and the path directly overhangs popular hangout zones in the bowl, so overhead hazard is a major concern even if you are not on the line itself.

Treat The Lip as a full-on avalanche start zone and terrain trap combo: travel one at a time on the steep section, avoid stopping beneath it, and stay off it entirely when MWAC is calling elevated danger for east to southeast aspects. Before any trip, read the current avalanche forecast and recent observations from the Mount Washington Avalanche Center, and adjust your plan or turn around if conditions do not line up with a conservative margin. Full details and daily bulletins: Mount Washington Avalanche Center.