Huntington Ravine has Moderate avalanche danger today. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible. Use caution in steep terrain.

In order to get anywhere near avalanche terrain today, you'll have already had to endure a difficult battle with Mother Nature to keep you hard earned heat energy. I've tried to think of a witty way to describe the conditions here, but right now I think my own brain is a little frozen from spending just a short amount of time outside at Hermit Lake. It's very cold and very windy, and the visibility is poor as well. Regardless of whether you intend to go up into higher terrain or stop at Hermit Lake, you should be prepared for Arctic weather conditions. This means covering every last bit of exposed skin, bringing extra goggles for when the first pair fogs up, staying well fed and hydrated, etc. As Chris mentioned yesterday, extreme weather can cause problems quite quickly. Be vigilant as you travel outdoors today.

Ok, so for the hardy folks who make it into avalanche terrain today, you'll be treated to a mix of hard old surface, sensitive cold slabs, and areas of wind affected snow. Low moisture levels in the atmosphere have kept new snow accumulations to a minimum; at the summit 1.5" (3.8cm) were recorded over the past two days with slightly more at our snowplots lower on the mountain. However, the observers up there have recorded blowing snow for at least each of the past 24 hours. This is also what we are seeing this morning in Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines. The winds are expected to die down only slightly through the day, and during the morning hours we will continue to have the possibility of light upslope snow showers. We don't expect a lot of new snow to fall, but the available snow for transport on the winds will keep us in the Considerable range in Tuckerman Ravine today. While most areas are posted at Considerable, we do not expect all areas to have the same conditions within the rating. Strong lee areas from W and NW winds, such as the Lip, Headwall, and Bowl, give us the most concern as the snow will accumulate into deeper slabs there. Other areas such as Left Gully and Hillman's will have less direct loading and might offer more options for traveling on old surface, which would be the preferred surface to travel on if you're trying to avoid triggering a slide.

In Huntington, there is a good amount old surface showing lower in the ravine. Although last night's gusts were quite strong and may have scoured some areas of the ravine, wind speeds today have slowed to speeds more condusive to loading. You can expect to find some very sensitive cold slabs, especially in protected lee areas. Whenever possible, sticking to the old surface would be the recommended course of action.

Although the new snow is trying to cover it up, the hard old surface is poking through in places. Until it has vanished you will need crampons, an ice axe and solid self arrest skills to travel safely in steep terrain. This includes travel on the Lion Head Winter Route. The Little Headwall is still recovering from the early January thaw, but hopefully soon its open water hole will be completely covered. The Sherburne Ski Trail is open with good coverage from top to bottom.