Temperatures have steadily been on the rise since yesterday afternoon which is good news for the snowpack. Windslab created during the Turkey Day storm is now having its elasticity baked away. We are currently on the lower end of the Considerable rating in many areas and will be moving into the Moderate rating as the day goes on. Natural avalanches are unlikely today which fits with the Moderate rating but the influence of human triggers would best be described by a word stronger than possible. Be aware of who may be lurking on the slopes or in the gullies above you! People timidly tested a number of slopes yesterday but wisely they remained off some of the scarier areas of new snow. Don't let yourself end up below someone who had their confidence boosted yesterday and is now performing their stability tests in areas with severe consequences!

Spending time in the Ravines today is going to be all about safe travel techniques. Friday's winds did a tremendous job of moving snow around the mountain. Areas of new windslab exist within 10 meters of old surface or new wind-pack. Left Gully and O'Dell's are prime examples of today's spatial variability. Stick to the scoured areas whenever possible and travel one at a time when in terrain that could potentially slide. Some of today's most suspect slopes are those that call most to riders and skiers. The large creamy snowfields in the upper section of Hillman's, the narrows of the Lip and throughout the middle section of Huntington's Central Gully picked up the most snow due to their location in the strong lee of high W and NW winds. Don't let the morning's beautiful weather lure you onto recently loaded slopes. Avalanches don't care about blue skies or first tracks!

Large snowfields and isolated pockets of instability both have their dangers. If a snowfield is big enough to recreate on it's big enough to avalanche. Don't wait any longer to refresh your avalanche skills. Pull out your beacon, practice, and spend a couple bucks on a fresh set of high quality batteries. 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!