8:44 a.m., Sunday, December 8, 2002

   TUCKERMAN RAVINE CURRENTLY HAS LOW AND MODERATE AVALANCHE DANGER. The
   Little Headwall and the Lower Snowfields have LOW avalanche danger.
   Natural avalanches are very unlikely and human triggered avalanches
   are unlikely except in isolated pockets on steep snow covered open
   slopes and gullies. Normal caution is advised. All other areas in
   Tuckerman have MODERATE avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are
   unlikely and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep snow
   covered open slopes and gullies. Use caution in steeper terrain.

   HUNTINGTON RAVINE HAS LOW AND MODERATE AVALANCHE DANGER. Central and
   South gullies have MODERATE avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are
   unlikely and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep snow
   covered open slopes and gullies. All other gullies in Huntington have
   LOW avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are very unlikely and human
   triggered avalanches are unlikely except in isolated pockets on steep
   snow covered open slopes and gullies. Normal caution is advised. These
   pockets DO exist so put your avalanche skills to work in the Ravine.

   Snow showers are forecasted through the morning hours with W and NW
   winds which are currently at 65 mph. This may bring a bit of snow into
   strong lee areas, but the forecast isn't expecting much precipitation.
   Watch snowfall amounts and anticipate the possiblility of an
   increasing avalanche danger and change your plans accordingly. An
   arctic cold front is moving in today, dropping the temperature to
   perhaps -15 degrees F with high winds tonight. Be prepared with the
   right gear for this exteme weather change. Yesterday snow was blowing
   over the ridgetops lightly loading very strong lee pockets against the
   backdrop of blue skies. It exemplified beauty in the mountains,
   although bringing an increased danger due to snow loading. Look out
   for small pockets with new slab that are sheltered from W and NW
   winds. You won't find many new snow locations from yesterday's plumes,
   but they are out there. The most significant weak layer we found on E
   and SE facing aspects yesterday was about 1 to 1.5cm layer of grapel
   approximately 45 cm deep. We were finding quality 1-easy to moderate
   shears between layers of hard slab. A few things are important to keep
   in mind about this situation. Grapel with high winds will often pool
   in lee areas and will not be uniformally distributed. Some areas may
   have no grapel layers while certain pockets may have heavy deposits.
   This variability should be kept in mind. Particularly in relation to
   potential weaker trigger points when a slope might be skied more than
   once. One set of ski tracks doesn't mean the slope is OK. However, we
   found the tensile strength of the hard slab above this weak layer to
   be quite strong. This strength will be higher on smaller slopes with
   multiple anchor points still helping hold slabs in place. This
   'bridging' over weak layers will becomes less of a stabilizing factor
   as you move onto larger open slopes such as the center bowl of
   Tuckerman.

   THE LION HEAD SUMMER TRAIL BELOW TREELINE HAS BEEN SHUT DOWN FOR THE
   WINTER DUE TO THE STEEP SNOWFIELD TRAVERSE NEAR TREELINE. THE SUMMER
   TRAIL AREA WILL AVALANCHE WITH ENOUGH NEW LOADING THROUGH THE WINTER.
   THE WINTER LION HEAD ROUTE IS NOW OPEN. IT LEAVES FROM THE HUNTINGTON
   FIRE ROAD AND HAS ORANGE SIGNS STARTING ON THE TUCKERMAN RAVINE TRAIL
   AT ROUGHLY THE 1.8 MILE MARK. IT IS STEEP AND CHALLENGING, CRAMPONS,
   AN ICE AXE, AND THE ABILITY TO USE THEM WITH SKILL ARE REQUIRED FOR
   SAFE TRAVEL.

   On the way out of the Ravine yesterday we came across 4 people from
   Quebec heading in. 3 were on skis one and one was snowboarding. They
   all had beacons, probes, and shovels. They had taken avalanche courses
   through the Canadian Avalanche Association which offer some of the
   best courses in the world. And they were heading up to dig snow pits.
   AWESOME! I hate to say it, but this may be the most prepared group I
   have encountered in a long time. They seemed excited about their sport
   as well as avoiding avalanches. Lets follow their example and have fun
   digging and learning. I know some people who started learning about
   snow because they were avid backcoutry skiers. Now it seems they ski
   just to go dig snowpits! It really is fun learning about snowpack
   instability. Sign up for an avalanche course. We have all the
   avalanche courses offered in the valley this winter on our website,
   csac.org.

   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.

   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