Huntington Ravine has Considerable and Moderate avalanche danger today. Central, Yale, Damnation and North Gullies have Considerable avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are possible and human triggered avalanches are probable. Be increasingly cautious in steeper terrain. All other forecast areas in Huntington have Moderate avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible. Use caution in steep terrain.

Mother Nature gave us a nice surprise yesterday with a good dose of very light density snow. The snowplot at Hermit Lake measured a storm total of 6.3" (16 cm) and the Harvard Cabin plot measured 6.7" (17 cm). Snow added up to slightly more than that but settlement brought it down to these recorded totals. The amazing part of this is the density of the new snow is less than 2%! If you sneeze near this stuff you create a whiteout. The Summit did record less snow than down here but folks who made their way to the upper reaches of the Ravines yesterday found snow amounts to be similar to what we have in the bottom of the Ravines. This new light density snow is half of the equation for today's stability ratings that have some areas posted at High and Considerable. The second part of the equation is the forecasted winds that are going to be out of the north between 30 and 50 mph (48 and 80 kph) with higher gusts. Despite winds being out of the north, Tuckerman Ravine currently has snow pouring into it, while all other areas are calm with no snow moving at this time. Tracks from yesterday's adventures are visible, as are multiple sluff paths in both Ravines that exposed the old surface in some locations. Expect sluffing to continue through the day in many loactions. Once the winds increase I expect to see the new snow begin to move into other lee areas and increase the stability issues. Touchy soft slabs will form quickly and as the winds reach their forecasted maximum speeds I expect areas posted at Considerable and Moderate to be on the upper end of those ratings. This is especially true for the north side of the Ravines. Hillman's Highway and Left Gully are not in the direct lee of north winds but cross-loading can still deposit a lot of snow in their start zones. If you are heading out today, wind loading will be your best clue to increasing avalanche danger.

We always recommend bringing crampons and an ice axe and having solid self arrest skills if you plan on traveling in steep terrain, including the Lion Head Winter Route. Under the blanket of new snow many areas have large expanses of bulletproof old surface. We have had three accidents in the last four days due to sliding falls that went unarrested on the old surface. The Sherburne Ski Trail is open with good coverage from top to bottom.