9:48 a.m., Friday, November 22, 2002

   This is a General Advisory for Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines. We
   will likely go back and forth between General Advisories and 5 scale
   ratings until we need to go to a daily bulletin. If a 5 scale bulletin
   is issued it expires at midnight on the day of issue and you can
   expect another bulletin the following morning. When a General Advisory
   is posted another bulletin may or may not be issued the following day
   depending on conditions. Climbers heading into Huntington should check
   the avalanche bulletin before leaving Pinkham Notch or Hermit Lake
   each morning. Until the Harvard Cabin opens on December 1st the
   avalanche bulletin will not be posted there due to no campers being
   there overnight.

   Over the past week the temperature has hovered in the mid 30's
   (degrees F) here at Hermit Lake. High temperatures hit 37F on Thursday
   and Wednesday which settled new snow from Monday quite well. Currently
   it is 36 degrees and raining at Hermit Lake and 31.7 degrees on the
   summit of Mount Washington. So all areas will receive at least some
   rain today. I don't believe that it will be enough to significantly
   raise the snow instability due to the week of settling that has
   already occured. However, if we see steady prolonged rain through the
   day or heavy periods of intensity expect an increasing avalanche
   danger. Temperatures are expected to go below freezing as cold air
   comes in behind this front as it moves out of the area. Freezing
   temperatures should begin to create a crust on the old surface, but
   the current rain is forecasted to change into snow which may limit
   crust development. Once again timing will be crutial. If snow begins
   after a crust has developed, poor bonding may occur at the interface.
   If it snows as the temperatures drop below freezing better bonding
   should occur and will limit crust growth as it will insulate saturated
   snow from the dropping temps. So keep an eye on weather changes. Snow
   is expected on Saturday into Sunday so pay attention to loading snow
   and the possibility of an increased avalanche danger. Areas of most
   concern are those that already had significant existing snowfields
   before this storm. These pockets offer new snow a bed surface to
   avalanche on compared to brush or rock dominated areas. The largest
   areas are still in Tuckerman Ravine. Left Gully, the Chute, and areas
   North towards the Sluice do have sizeable snowfields. Isolated patches
   in the Huntington Gullies also offer good potential bed surfaces.
   Remember if the snowfield is large enough to ski or recreate on it's
   large enough to avalanche.

   The ice has been reforming in both ravines, however, with the amount
   of rain we received expect to find running water and wet soft ice
   conditions in places. Due to the rain crust that should develop with
   dropping temperatures travel above treeline could be interesting. Plan
   some extra time for your trip as you will likely break through this
   crust with every step. AS ALWAYS, THIS ADVISORY IS ONE MORE TOOL TO
   HELP YOU MAKE YOUR OWN DECISIONS IN AVALANCHE TERRAIN. It should be
   used along with your own snow stability assessments, knowledge of safe
   travel techniques, skill in mountain weather's effect on the snowpack,
   and avalanche rescue.

   Pull out your beacon and practice, ONLY YOU CAN SAVE YOUR PARTNER!!
   Review your safe travel rules, techniques for assessing snow
   stability, and sign up for an avalanche course. We have all the
   avalanche courses offered in the valley this winter on our website,
   csac.org.

   PLEASE REMEMBER:

   o Any new precipitation may increase the avalanche danger, this
   includes wind transported snow.

   o Obtain latest weather forecast before starting out.

   o For more information, contact the U.S. Forest Service Snow Rangers:
   AMC at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center or Hermit Lake Shelters.

   o This General Advisory will be updated as needed.

   Christopher Joosen, Snow Ranger
   USDA Forest Service
   White Mountain National Forest