Huntington Ravine has MODERATE avalanche danger today. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible. Unstable slabs are possible in steep terrain. Use caution in steeper terrain.

Today is an absolutely beautiful day on the mountain. Blue skies, light winds, a lot of snow and fresh avalanche debris makes the mountain look like a candy store to me. Yesterday's moderate WNW and NW winds loaded new snow into the Ravine's causing soft slab avalanches in almost all forecast areas. There are still a lot of slabs to be concerned about throughout all forecast areas. This is particularly true on the SE aspects in Tuckerman Ravine. Expect many areas posted at Moderate to be at the upper end of the rating due to the touchy nature of the slabs. Look for instabilities in unusual areas today. Some examples of these are in the Fan and on other approaches to gullies in Huntington Ravine. We had natural avalanche activity in the Fan yesterday as well as at the very top of the Ravines. This tells us that we had unstable snow at a variety of elevations so keep your avalanche eyes open! Today's winds are expected to shift from the NW to the W and diminish, so we shouldn't see too much loading occur today. Be advised that the next time the wind does pick up it will have plenty of new snow to transport into the Ravines. When this occurs, and it will, expect an increasing avalanche danger. It could be an interesting weekend avalanche-wise so check back for the lastest advisory before you head into the mountains.

Over the past 24 hours Hermit Lake has received 4 cm of new snow bringing our three-day total to 35 cm (13.5") and the two-week total to 149 cm (58.5"). This snow has completely turned our season around bringing us back to "average" conditions. What was looking like another bleak year has now turned into a winter wonderland with gullies and snowfields filling in more each day.

THE LION HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS OPEN. Mountaineering skills and equipment are required on this route. Crampons and an ice axe are a must for safe travel on Mount Washington. With this past week's snow, snowshoes are recommended for all areas except trails known to be packed. The John Sherburne Ski Trail has good coverage.

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.