8:38 a.m., Sunday, November 24, 2002

   This is a U.S. 5 Scale Danger Rating Avalanche 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.

   Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines have CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger
   today. Natural avalanches are possible and human triggered avalanches
   are probable. Be increasingly cautious in steeper terrain. Over the
   past 24 hours the summit of Mount Washington received 7.1 inches of
   snow with a peak NW wind of 96 mph. Once again the big factor
   yeaterday and today is wind. West and NW winds have been loading both
   Ravines over the past 24 hours with a mix of crystals dominated by
   grapel. Grapel becomes as round as a ball bearing the more times it
   recycles through supercooled droplets which rimes up the features of
   the original crystal. Their exterior isn't as smooth like an ice
   pellet which allows their rough features to bond slightly, but
   ultimately it's still like trying to stack a bunch of rubber balls.
   They act as an excellent weak layer for avalanche activity and are
   often the reason for overlying slab failure. So 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.

   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 Avalanche bulletin will expire at midnight.

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