Huntington Ravine has LOW avalanche danger today. Natural avalanches are very unlikely and human triggered avalanches are unlikely except in isolated pockets. Normal caution is advised.

Some days we arrive at work and spend what can feel like an eternity discussing the subtle nuances of what the snowpack is doing and what the day's ratings should be. Today is definitely not one of those days, at least for Huntington Ravine. Yesterday's sustained winds left behind very little snow in many places where there had been snow even before Sunday's storm. But before the winds really got moving, there was avalanche activity in a number of locations, notably Odell Gully which ran just about the full length of its track to the floor of the ravine. In the places where it wasn't scoured down to bare rock and ice, the snowpack shows evidence of being pummeled by the wind into very strong slabs. What's truly impressive right now is the amount of snow in the fan. When the next storm rolls in, we'll be just as concerned about the stability in the fan as we will be for what's going on in the upper start zones. For now, in the northern gullies be prepared to put your crampons on the rocks when the ice runs out. In other areas be ready to self arrest immediately if you do slip, otherwise you'll have a quick ride to the bottom.

In Tuckerman Ravine, we're seeing quite an impressive display of recent avalanche activity. Just from looking with binoculars, we believe there were avalanches in Dodge's, Hillman's, the Dutchess, Left Gully, the Chute, the Headwall, the Sluice, and even the landslide gully off Lion Head right near Hermit Lake. What areas didn't I mention? The Lip and Right Gully. It's quite possible that both of these locations also produced avalanches, however, our take on them is a bit different from these other locations. Even though they're both at Moderate, the Lip gives us more of a reason to be concerned than Right Gully. In Right Gully, careful routefinding can keep you out of areas of instability. The Lip has fracture lines on both its left and right. This leads me to believe that either the Lip ran and then refilled or hasn't run. Either way, it has more loading and less wind effect, and is possibly waiting for just the right trigger to get it to slide. That trigger won't be the weather today; the weight of a human being might be just the additional load it needs. All other areas of the ravine have heavily wind effected surfaces. While these are quite strong, you should be suspect of any areas of softer snow you encounter that developed in very sheltered locations.

Looking into the week ahead, we're expecting some snow for Wednesday night and Thursday, but models conflict as to how much we will see. After this, our next storm is due to arrive Sunday. We're definitely in midwinter conditions here, so come well-prepared!

The John Sherburne Ski Trail is open with continuous snow from top to bottom, however this trail has also been hammered by the wind. THE LION HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS NOW OPEN. This is a steep and challenging route for mountaineers. Crampons, an ice axe and the ability to properly use this equipment are recommended for safe travel on this route.