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.

High pressure will provide relatively calm winds and plenty of sun this morning and we can expect increasing clouds with a slight chance of a snow shower this afternoon. This weather paired with a lot of travel options in avalanche terrain makes it a nice day to be climbing on the mountain. As forecasted, winds picked up yesterday afternoon and began blowing snow around the mountain. While the aerial show was nice to watch, it didn't result in much loading in either Ravine. The fracture line from Saturday night's avalanche in the Headwall is still visible as are some faint signs of ski tracks that were put in the lower Sluice late yesterday. This leaves us with the slabs that were of concern yesterday on the north side of the Headwall, in the Lip, around the Sluice and near the top of Right Gully. Some areas were actually scoured by the increase in winds yesterday, which is why there isn't much to say about stability concerns in Huntington outside of an isolated pocket here and there. Areas posted at Low around Tuckerman also have isolated pockets to watch out for. If you are up here to ski in avalanche terrain, the pockets I am referring to are probably what you are going to try to ski as the other option is like a hockey rink tilted at a 35 to 45 degree angle. Don't jump into these blindly. Take the time to assess their stability first.

The hockey rink surface I mentioned is providing excellent crampon conditions on the mountain. However, if you slip you must self arrest immediately because the potential for long sliding falls exists in most locations. This includes the Lion Head Winter Route. If you are a bit rusty with self arrest techniques, be sure to practice in a safe spot before heading into terrain that will be unfriendly to a sliding fall. Do not attempt to climb on steep slopes without crampons, an ice axe and solid self arrest skills.

I can't help but smile when I look at the weather for the week. A major winter storm is in store for us tomorrow through Wednesday and it appears that it will be all snow in the mountains. As usual, there are some conflicts in the models, especially for the second round of snow on Wednesday. For now, let's just say were in for a good storm with accumulating snow from Tuesday afternoon into the day on Wednesday. Expect increasing avalanche danger as a result of this storm. An active pattern continues with another round of snow possible for the weekend.

The Sherburne Ski Trail has some new snow on top of icy conditions.