Huntington Ravine has CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger today. Natural avalanches are possible and human triggered avalanches are probable. Be increasingly cautious in steeper terrain.

It seems as though December wants to end with a strong finish this year. With above average snowfall this month and more anticipated before New Year's Day, we're building quite an early season snowpack. Although we're entering a bit of a lull in the weather, today's avalanche danger will remain elevated. The potential for human triggered avalanches is what's driving today's Considerable rating. Yesterday brought only 1.8" (4.6cm) of snow to the Summit, while Hermit Lake picked up 3.9" (10cm) of high-density (19%) snow. While this wasn't a very big storm, as frequently is the case here the winds have been able to move a lot of snow around the mountain and into the ravines. The Summit has recorded blowing snow consistently since the snowfall ended at about 8:30am yesterday, with winds gusting to 92mph (147kph). Currently here at Hermit Lake it appears to be snowing, though it's most likely snow that's being blown off the upper mountain. Winds today are already on the decline, so we expect new loading to taper off soon. Without additional loading, the potential for natural avalanche activity drops. However, unstable slabs have been able to develop over the past 24 hours, and they are waiting for an added load to push them beyond the point of failure. Today's Considerable rating reflects the potential for a hiker, climber, or skier to give the snowpack the additional load it needs to create an avalanche.

All areas of Huntington Ravine have Considerable danger; however, a variety of surfaces might be found there today. This morning's poor visibility didn't offer much in the way of visual clues to what the winds did to the snow in Huntington. As clearing takes place this afternoon, you might find the snow scoured down to old surface, packed into hard slabs, or sitting in the bottom of the gullies as a pile of avalanche debris. In the absence of bulls-eye information leading you to believe things are stable, you should be conservative with your plans. Similar to Tuckerman Ravine, existing slabs might just need the additional load of a human (e.g. an ice climber) to tip the scales enough to cause an avalanche.

After today's relatively calm weather, a quick double-shot of snow is expected for Monday and Tuesday. Both of these systems should bring mostly snow, but we can't yet rule out a bit of mixed precipitation. From what I can gather, we will probably receive enough snow to keep the avalanche danger elevated for the next couple of days. As always, we'll be closely monitoring the situation.

The John Sherburne Ski Trail is open with continuous snow from top to bottom. Expect good snow over a stiff base. THE LION HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS 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.