Tuckerman Ravine has Moderate and Low avalanche danger. The Lip, Bowl, Headwall, Left Gully and Hillman's Highway have Moderate avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible. Unstable slabs are possible in steep terrain. Use caution in steeper terrain. All other forecast areas in Tuckerman Ravine have Low avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are very unlikely and human triggered avalanches are unlikely except in isolated pockets. Normal caution is advised.

Huntington Ravine has Moderate and Low avalanche danger. Odell's, Pinnacle, Central and Damnation gullies have Moderate avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible. Unstable slabs are possible in steep terrain. Use caution in steeper terrain. All other forecast areas in Huntington Ravine have Low avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are very unlikely and human triggered avalanches are unlikely except in isolated pockets. Normal caution is advised.

Over the past 24 hours the Summit has recorded 4.6 cm (1.8") of new snow with a density of 10%. Hermit Lake has received 8 cm (3") of new snow in the past 24 hours. These totals don't seem like a lot of snow but it is the way the snow has and will continue to move around that concerns us. Climbers have been reporting knee deep snow in many locations with deeper pockets. Unstable slabs may be found in a variety of areas today. People venturing into the Ravine's need to be aware of this and use safe travel techniques while in avalanche terrain. You should especially be aware of people climbing above you as you may be in the run out of any slabs they trigger. The main focus of today's forecast is the timing of the increasing winds expected this afternoon. As of 8:00 am the Summit was expecting winds to begin to increase out of the WSW around noon. Between noon and 2:00 pm summit winds are expected to increase to about 60 kph (37 mph) and stay at that velocity until early evening. Around 7:00 pm winds are expected to reach 90 kph (57 mph) and increase through the night reaching 130 kph (80 mph). As winds increase today and begin to load the new snow into the Ravines, be prepared for all areas to be on the upper end of their forecasted rating. If the winds come in earlier and/or stronger than forecasted expect all areas to go up a rating. So if this occurs, areas posted at Moderate could move up to Considerable. Pay close attention to the wind today and be prepared to change your plans. Right now it seems that our greatest instabilities will be late tonight and tomorrow.

We are still in early season so instabilities are still isolated as you move from location to location. It is easy to move from rock, to grass, to thick scrub, and then be in the middle of an unstable slope. Keep this in mind and don't be lulled into thinking there are no avalanche issues just because the instabilities are isolated. Some areas, such as the Lower Snowfields and the Escape Hatch have almost no snow while areas such as Left Gully and Central Gully have filled in during the past storms and offer larger avalanche paths. In between these examples, you will find plenty of snowfields that are continuing to grow. Remember if the snowfield is large enough to ski or recreate on it's large enough to avalanche. Historically, we tend to have more avalanche accidents during the early season. Many of these accidents have involved ice climbers who enjoy getting out in the Ravines, particularly Tuckerman, before the ice gets buried under snow. A small pocket of snow can seem insignificant compared to larger avalanche prone slopes, but it is important to consider the consequences of the area failing. Safe travel techniques, knowledge of recent weather events and the ability to assess snow stability are crucial skills and information for ice climbers venturing into the Ravines. We have all the avalanche courses offered in and around the Mt. Washington 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 use along with your own snow stability assessments, knowledge of safe travel techniques, skill in reading mountain weather's effect of the snowpack and avalanche rescue.