New Hampshire's Tuckerman Ravine is considered the birthplace of US extreme skiing. The steep, raw s

(8 May 2015) VOICE-OVER:
AT TUCKERMAN RAVINE, SPRING IS PRIME TIME FOR SKIERS TO EXPERIENCE THE THRILL OF VICTORY .... OR THE AGONY OF A SPECTACULAR WIPEOUT ON THESE LEGENDARY SLOPES.
nats
THERE'S MORE MUD THAN SNOW AT THE BEGINNING OF THE THREE-MILE TREK TO THE GLACIAL BOWL ON THE SOUTHEAST FACE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE'S MOUNT WASHINGTON.
SOUNDBITE: Gabriel Ohlson: skier from Conway, NH:
"You get to the trail head and you have this idea in your head about what you are going to do. And you come up here and you find out if you've got what it takes."
AFTER THE HIKE TO THE THE BASE, IT'S ANOTHER HOUR TO MAKE THE 1,000-FOOT CLIMB TO THE TOP.
THERE ARE NO SKI LIFTS HERE.
SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS FORM SLOW-MOVING LINES , EACH PERSON USING THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE PERSON IN FRONT LIKE A STAIRCASE.
ALL TO EXPERIENCE A HEART THUMPING THRILL.
nats
NO TWO DAYS AND NO TWO RUNS ARE ALIKE_
UPSOUND: Ranger speaking to skier: "Another slice that's not a beginner run..."
RANGERS WARN SPRING BRINGS IT'S OWN DANGERS.
UPSOUND: Ranger speaking to skier: "If you fall up high you can hit one of those side walls. Kind of some brutal injuries have happened there..."
MANY THRILL-PILGRIMS SAY THAT'S PART OF THE ALLURE.
IN FACT, TUCKERMAN IS CONSIDERED THE BIRTHPLACE OF EXTREME SKIING IN THE US.
SOUNDBITE: Shane Murray, skier from Dover NH:
"Pretty Dangerous. That's what makes it fun, you know. Some people died up there. Pretty gnarly."
THE CHALLENGE INTIMIDATES EVEN EXPERIENCED SKIERS.
SOUNDBITE: Christen Cevoli, Ski Instructor:
"I got to the top and I almost started to hyperventilate and I was like, 'If I don't ski down now, you're going to have to helicopter me off this mountain,'" she said. "Yeah, I was scared. It was totally worth it. I just took a deep breath and yelled and just went for it."
THE AVERAGE SNOW PACK HERE TOPS MORE THAN 50 FEET PER YEAR, AND THE TRAILS SOME OF THE STEEPEST RUNS IN THE COUNTRY.
WHY THOUSANDS WILL MAKE THE JOURNEY HERE UNTIL THE SNOW IS GONE AT THE END OF THE MONTH.
WALTER RATLIFF, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...
Twitter: / ap_archive
Facebook: / aparchives ​​
Instagram: / apnews
You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.c...