Huntington Ravine has MODERATE and LOW avalanche danger today. Central Gully has Moderate avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible. Unstable slabs are possible on 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.

It is a beautiful clear morning on Mt. Washington. Views into the Ravine's this morning have given us some good information about what has happened in the past 24 hours. Fracture lines in Tuckerman Ravine from earlier in the week are still visible, however, quite a bit of snow has filled them in. Wind loading has deposited snow in a variety of places, particularly in the Lip and Sluice. In other areas the wind either scoured snow off leaving the crust on the surface or created very hard slabs. If you are heading into avalanche terrain today you really need to keep your eyes open for instabilities because they are out there. If you have been reading this week's advisories you know that we have had concerns about slabs sitting on a slippery crust with an interface of facets, grauple and rimed crystals. These conditions were providing us with quality 1 shears earlier in the week. Continuous cold temperatures have kept some slabs cold and elastic which allows them to propagate across a slope. These conditions are most prevalent on the north side of Tuckerman Ravine. You will find the snow generally more stable on the south side of the Ravine due to strong wind effect on the snowpack. Left Gully was a candidate for a Low rating today, however, we were hesitant to drop it to Low based on the crust and weak layer described above. We will take a closer look at how the weak layer and crust are getting along today and let you know what we found in tomorrow's advisory. If you head into an area forecasted at Low today, remember that isolated pockets of instability may exist under a Low rating. I restate this because there are pockets in most areas posted at Low.

THE LION HEAD SUMMER TRAIL IS NOW CLOSED DUE TO THE AVALANCHE PRONE SLOPES JUST BELOW TREELINE. THE LION HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS OPEN. Mountaineering skills and equipment are required for safe travel on this route.

The John Sherburne Ski Trail is improving with every bit of snow we receive. However, expect abrupt waterbars, lots of bushes and rocks hidden under new snow.

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 on the snowpack and avalanche rescue. To improve these skills take an avalanche course. We have all the avalanche courses offered in and around the Mt. Washington Valley this winter on our website, tuckerman.org.