We are currently receiving light snow here at Hermit Lake. This should clear out this morning as the higher summits are expected to clear and winds should diminish by early afternoon. This lull in the weather will precede a storm that will be moving in tomorrow morning that is expected to give us 7.5 to 12 cm (3 to 5") of new snow by tomorrow evening. At this time it looks like the valley winds will be out of the SE and S during the majority of the snow and then shifting to the W and NW by Friday. We will have to wait and see how this plays out for the summits. Expect elevated avalanche danger over the next couple days.

Due to hard surface conditions in many locations mountaineers should be aware of long sliding falls to occur on steep terrain if self-arrest is not achieved quickly. All visitors traveling on angled terrain should be prepared with crampons and an ice axe.

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 quite hard and has locked up with a drop in temperatures. We are getting to the point where we need snow badly. The lower half of the trail is mostly a veneer of hard base intermingled with turf, rocks, bushes, and deep waterbars.

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. 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.