When the wild New Hampshire winds blow snow off the peaks, it collects in the deep bowl-shaped Tuckerman Ravine (www.tuckerman.org) on the southeast side of Mount Washington. Like everything in these parts, Tuckerman was formed by the glaciers; it is a feature known as a glacial cirque, a large bowl formed by prolonged erosion at the leading edge of a glacier. Since the early 20th century, it’s exuded a unique fascination for skiers, who see all that deep-packed powder and just can’t wait to get up there.

No lifts have been built on the feature, however, mostly because of the constant danger of landslides. Thousands every year brave the challenge, anyway, by hiking up to the top of the ridge in order to ski down 800 feet of powder.

If you want to join them, climb the Tuckerman Ravine Trail from Pinkham Notch straight up the bowl, a distance of about three miles (and an up to 3,000-foot rise in elevation). Generally, the trip takes about three hours, but can take longer in-season due to crowds.

If you’d rather just sit and watch the skiers as they come down the bowl, bring a picnic on the hike out to the exposed Lunch Rocks, a cluster of rocks on the north side of the ravine that frequently take on a party-like atmosphere as spectators watch the daredevils descend the slopes.

Even here, however, you’ll have to be careful of avalanches. The official warning is to yell “Ice!” as loud as possible. If you hear someone yell it, stay alert and get behind a rock; it’s also recommended to have an escape route planned beforehand.