Huntington Ravine remains under a General Advisory. Realize that avalanches may occur even through we are issuing a General Advisory. Remember that if a snowfield is large enough to recreate on, it is large enough to avalanche.

The major Nor'Easter that has been pounding the eastern states with snow has arrived on Mt. Washington. Snow began here around 7:30 this morning and the weather forecast suggests that it will stick around through most of tomorrow leaving us with 25 to 50 cm (10 to 20 inches) of new snow. Currently the winds are out of the ESE and are forecasted to move into the E, NE, N and finally wrap all the way to the NW by Monday. The winds are also forecasted to increase dramatically over the next two days which sets us up for a potentially interesting avalanche cycle. So, if you are heading into the mountains today there are some things you should be aware of. As the storm progresses, areas in Tuckerman Ravine that are posted at Moderate could be pushing the higher end of that rating by the end of the day. With winds from the ESE E and NE today, expect cross-loading to occur on the Lip, Bowl, Chute and Left Gully. Areas that are not posted had very little snow as of yesterday. Another thing to keep in mind is that this can change fast. One area that could be a good example of this is Right Gully. Yesterday it didn't have a single snowfield on it. With 25-50 cm of snow paired with strong northerly winds, tomorrow may be an different story.

As for Huntington Ravine, be prepared for increasing avalanche danger through the weekend. As of yesterday, there were very few snowfields present in the Ravine, however, we expect this to change. Once thing to be aware of is the new snow building up on top of ice. The ice doesn't offer a good surface for the snow to bond to and a small slide could prove to be very dangerous. If you are heading into Huntington to climb, the south side, such as Odell's Gully, would be a better choice than the north side given the current and forecasted winds in relation to loading and cross-loading the gullies.

In summary, we are at the start of a major winter storm. Conditions are changing and expect all areas to go to a 5 scale avalanche danger rating tomorrow. Check the latest advisory before heading into avalanche terrain.

The Lion Head summer route is still open. As of this morning the area that typically avalanches in the winter had very little snow on it and the snowfields had not begun to develop. The wind directions associated with this storm could cross-load this area so keep you eyes open for changing conditions on this route.

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, tuckerman.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 reading mountain weather's effect on the snowpack, and avalanche rescue.

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