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

Yesterday's field observations continued to confirm our thoughts about unstable slabs. On the southern end of Tuckerman Ravine under the Chute and to its climber's right towards the left side of the Headwall we had multiple layers of soft slab over harder slab below. The main weakness here was lower density snow at the interface between layers while over on the northern side of the Ravine we had a different animal. Under the Sluice and in the mouth of Right Gully we found a variety of slab thickness sitting on developing early facets on top of the old ice layer from the rain and thaw that ended 15 days ago. In the mouth of Right Gully, we found the 2-3cm thick layer of early facets between the icy crust and stiffer slab, with softer slab sitting on the surface. In an area of the Sluice that had previously been scoured down to old surface, the surface was predominantly soft slab without the harder slab below it. Although not a substantial problem yet, this facet growth is the weakness we are watching on southern aspects, particularly in locales where slabs are thin, allowing for a steeper temperature gradient and inducing faster facet growth. This spatial variability will be something to watch. These field observations along with low drifting snow in the afternoon, a bit of snow last night, and some very light snow showers expected today have caused us to bump the Headwall and the Bowl in Tuckerman from Moderate to Considerable. All other forecast areas continue to hang on to their rating from yesterday due to cold air keeping the consolidation process to a minimum. Temperatures fell to -8F (-22C) during the early morning hours at higher elevations and should only rebound to about 0F (-18C) today before falling again overnight. This will do little to change the mountain's current instability issues as sintering should be quite slow into the foreseeable future. We will likely enter the weekend with lingering instabilities.

As Brian alluded in yesterday's advisory we are in the nickel and diming weather routine when it comes to new snowfall. Small amounts of low to average density snow with moderate W winds can cause slab growth and instabilities to sneak up on you. This often occurs because the bull's-eye data isn't screaming at you or causing a widespread problem. As you move through the terrain stay ever vigilant to changes in the snowpack underfoot and the variability the mountain is harboring. If you plan on traveling in avalanche terrain today you should choose your route wisely.

Snow showers are possible in the mountains today. There isn't a lot of moisture so we aren't expecting significant accumulations. Definitely keep your eye on the weather and snowfall amounts and act accordingly. Upslope events can often give us a surprising amount of low density snow for the given moisture available when cold air is in place.

The new snow is trying to cover up the old hard surface but it is still poking through in places. 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 Sherburne Ski Trail is open with good coverage from top to bottom.