The Summit picked up 1"(2.5cm) of new snow in the last 24 hours and high winds out of the W pushed snow toward the Ravines. Much of the newly deposited snow is in isolated pockets though some of the larger snowfields with southerly aspects picked up a bit through cross-loading. Winds peaked at 103mph(166kph) in the early evening and were consistently strong throughout the day. The Observatory staff reported blowing snow at all observations until 5PM. This wind activity scoured many areas and pounded other patches of snow into hardened submission. Temps remained around the freezing mark at the Summit while lower on the mountain the air in the windshadow heated up enough to form a bit of a crust.

Many of the areas today are in the lower end of Moderate and trending toward stability. This may change depending on the afternoon's weather events. A chance of rain or snow is forecasted for the second part of the day though not much is expected. SW winds will accompany the precip causing snow (if we're lucky) to be blown into NE aspects. Should the precip fall in liquid form we'll keep our eyes open for decreasing stability within our existing patches of windslab. If we begin to see more precip than they're currently calling for you should expect some areas to move toward the Considerable rating where they were yesterday.

Due to the patchy conditions of early season, expect the instability to vary dramatically from one area to the next. The snowfields that pepper the landscape are separated by brush and rock which both act as anchors and give off heat creating hollow pockets beneath the surface. Some of these smaller snowfields have united and formed substantial snowfields in avalanche paths' starting zones. Left and Right Gullies in Tuckerman and Central Gully and its northern neighbors in Huntington are examples of forecast areas that are in mid-winter conditions. Many other areas like the Escape Hatch, the Lower Snowfields and the main Tuckerman Headwall are much further behind. It is important to re-evaluate stability as you move through your intended terrain and expect it to change constantly. This is especially true during early season. If a snowfield is big enough to recreate on it's big enough to avalanche.

ICEFALL potential should be kept in mind as we see rain and more mild conditions in the upcoming days. 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.

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 now have all the avalanche courses offered in the Valley this winter on our website, tuckerman.org. Sign yourself or a loved one up now!