Very light winds prevailed over the past 24 hours with most observations seeing wind speeds in the singles with a max of 25 mph (40kph) out of the NW. New loading was pretty much non-existent through Friday and we should see this trend continue for most of today. Some partial clearing should occur during the morning hours before cloud cover moves back into the area. We are on the northern edge of a system moving to the E that may hit us with a shot of moisture late in the day and tonight. Once this moves out of the area tomorrow should show much improvement. Sunny skies are likely to be seen in the surrounding valleys while the summits should witness partly cloudy skies. As some snow moves in later today and this evening the winds will shift counterclockwise from the NE and increase. The summit may see winds out of the NW at 50-75 mph (80-120kph) on Sunday which will move any new precipitation into the eastern facing Ravines. We will discuss this more tomorrow, but keep this in the back of your mind as you think through your plans for the latter half of the weekend. So although all areas are considered to have "Moderate" danger I would be most suspect of these southern aspects in both Ravines. The larger the snowfield is on southerly and also easterly aspects the more concern I would have. You will find some pockets on the upper end of the Moderate rating. Expect some instabilities to linger through the weekend, but as we keep alluding to it will be quite spatially variable. Basically expect stability to vary widely from location to location. It is important to constantly re-evaluate stability as you move through your intended terrain. Early season brush and rocks are acting as anchors in many areas as well as breaking up the size of snowfields. As we keep stating if a snowfield is big enough to recreate on it's big enough to avalanche.

ICEFALL- Ice is forming rapidly on the Tuckerman Headwall albeit still quite thin. Any early season climbers will be very challenged to protect their climbs. Expect good ice protection difficult to find except in a few choice locations and rock features to be hidden under snow. Completely think through the pitfalls of your route before ascending. Don't forget it's still October so be aware of falling ice when we get into freeze thaw periods before the real deep winter freeze. Many folks have been injured and killed by falling ice so pay attention to where you are, and don't linger when under ice. Have a plan in mind about what you will do and where you will go if ice comes down. Station yourself near a large rock to duck behind in the event of ice fall.

GENERAL TRAVEL- The high mountains are absolutely in full winter conditions so don't plan on being able to follow summer trails. Trails going through ravines and gulfs are buried with snow in many areas and require winter gear, i.e. winter clothes, ice axe, crampons, avalanche beacons, shovels, and probes. Don't wait any longer to refresh your avalanche skills. Pull out your beacon and practice. Review your safe travel rules, techniques for assessing snow stability, and sign up for an avalanche course. We will have all the avalanche courses offered in the valley this winter on our website, tuckerman.org very soon.