Thankfully the mountain is currently on a warming trend and the Summit has been slowly crawling out of the negative numbers(F) since yesterday evening. Winds have also begun to subside and should be down to about 20mph(32kph) by later today. This is great news for everybody as yesterday's average windspeed was 101.9mph(164kph) making it quite hard to get much done! Most areas were stripped of any new snow and the weekend's raincrust dominates most surface areas. We're watching this crust closely as the cold temperatures have allowed rapid facet growth in the upper portion of our snowpack. Stay tuned for how this may effect stability in the future. As always you should remember that Low does not mean no avalanche danger! A few areas that are well protected from NNW winds were able to hold on to some snow and are worthy of your respect. In these areas a cold hard slab with the ability to propagate a fracture overlies the icy raincrust. Good examples include portions of the Lip, Sluice, Yale and Damnation Gullies. Similar pockets of instability may exist down low on the approaches in each Ravine. Differences in color and texture should allow those with good routefinding skills to detect and avoid these hazards. Traveling on the old surface is a better idea but realize that the crust is slicker than a teflon frying pan and attempts at self-arrest must be immediate to be effective. Crampons and an ice axe are absolutely essential on all angled terrain. Climbers should expect "ice dams" to be an additional hazard, particularly on all gully climbs, for the next couple of days. Hydraulic pressure from running water can build behind new freezing "ice dams". Sometimes all that it takes is one ice axe swing to explosively release massive amounts of pressure.

Today's enjoyable weather will not last. More than an inch of liquid is headed our way and we'll just have to wait and see which form it decides to take. Most likely we will see a mix of snow and freezing rain starting tonight. Tomorrow we will likely have rising avalanche danger so check back if you're thinking of heading our way.

THE LION HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS OPEN. Mountaineering skills and equipment are required for safe travel on this route.

The Sherburne Ski Trail is open with thin cover and varying conditions. Expect bare ground, water ice, deep waterbars and some running water.

This Advisory is one tool to help you make your own decisions in avalanche terrain. It should be used along with safe travel techniques, snow stability assessments, an understanding of weather's effect on the snowpack, and proficiency in avalanche rescue. Anticipate changing avalanche danger when actual weather for the Advisory period differs from the NWS forecast and realize changing conditions and local variations may occur. Keep in mind that it’s impossible to accurately predict natural events, such as avalanches, in every instance.