What happened to Madison Saltsburg? 20-year-old skier dies after falling 600 feet in Tuckerman Ravine Trail

A tragedy struck on Sunday, March 10, when skier Madison Saltsburg lost her life while skiing on New Hampshire's Mount Washington. The US Forest Service revealed that the 20-year-old skier fell approximately 600 feet down the Tuckerman Ravine, resulting in "fatal traumatic injuries," as reported by CBS News. The U.S. Forest Service and the Mount Washington Avalanche Center evacuated Saltsburg from the mountain.

Apart from Madison Saltsburg, two other skiers who were also skiing on the same Tuckerman Ravine Trail also experienced accidents. While they sustained injuries, fortunately, their injuries were not life-threatening. The Appalachian Mountain Club describes the Tuckerman Ravine trail as the "birthplace of extreme skiing" in the country.

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Skier Madison Saltsburg plunged 600 feet to her death

Madison Saltsburg and two other skiers were backcountry skiing down the Tuckerman Ravine trail on the southeast face of New Hampshire's Mount Washington when all three were involved in accidents. According to the U.S. Forest Service, 20-year-old Saltsburg fell 600 feet down the Tuckerman Ravine, a glacial cirque, and suffered "traumatic injuries" that tragically proved fatal.

According to CNN, rescue teams from the U.S. Forest Service and the Mount Washington Avalanche Center engaged in a rescue operation to evacuate Saltsburg from the mountain. US Forest Service public affairs specialist Colleen Mainville told CNN that the two other skiers were rescued without life-threatening injuries.

Mainville also told CNN that the snow ranger team of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center also worked on another rescue on Saturday, where two other skiers received traumatic injuries after falling and getting hit by rocks and ice.

The director of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center, Jeff Fongemie, told WMUR that Saturday was "one of the busiest and deadliest" days on the Tuckerman ravine. He said that the day had an "elevated sense of emergency" to it. He told WCVB Channel 5 Boston:

"I saw probably say, 15 people trying to ski steep slopes yesterday, give or take. Out of those 15 people I know, I witnessed two long pretty terrible-looking falls and then our two patients at the end of the day, they fell as well so it was pretty tough conditions yesterday."

WMUR also reported that the falls were due to difficult and dangerous ice conditions. Fongemie continued:

"I think over the course of the week, we lost something like 13 inches of snow in the snowpack. So, it was warm, we had some rain, it was a wet snowpack. Temperatures dropped, and it got cold and it froze it became kind of a firm surface."

The official website of the U.S. Forest Department also warned people about the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, which resulted in the death of Madison Saltsburg. The website read:

"Each winter, the Tuckerman Ravine Trail is covered by snow and ice, and has highly exposed steep cliffs and slopes below it. From late fall through late spring or even early summer, think of it more as a mountaineering ascent than a hike."

It further added:

"The consequences of a fall or being involved in an avalanche during these months can be dire. Without appropriate equipment (e.g. ice axe, crampons, and avalanche equipment), climbing this trail in winter should not be attempted."

NBC Boston reported that before Madison Saltsburg's tragic accident, another emergency occurred at Mount Washington only a couple of days earlier. A 23-year-old hiker had to be rescued after going off trail and plunging into the Ammonusuc Ravine. The hiker hit his head and face, lost a shoe, and later became hypothermic before he managed to call 911. He was eventually rescued by emergency responders.