Huntington Ravine has CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are possible and human triggered avalanches are probable. Unstable slabs are probable in steep terrain. Be increasingly cautious in steeper terrain.

Finally we have some snow to get excited about! Snow began falling on the Summit yesterday around 4 pm and is now starting to wind down. As of 7 am the Summit recorded 9" (23 cm) of new snow with a density of 7%. Hermit Lake received 5.5" (14 cm) of snow with a density of 5%. We expect a bit more snow this morning and then drier air this afternoon. What has our attention today is a good amount of light density snow sitting above treeling paired with a forecast for increasing winds through the day. Summits are forecasting N/NW winds 45 to 60 mph (72 to 96 kph) today and the winds are expected to increase more tonight and tomorrow. These will be the strongest winds that we have seen in a couple of days which means there is more snow available for transport than the snow we have received in the past 24 hours. Since Tuesday, the Summit recorded 2.6 " (6.5 cm) of snow and Hermit Lake recorded 3.4" (8.6 cm), all of which had densities lower than 10%. The bottom line is that winds have been and will continue to load the Ravines with snow creating wind slabs. There is a good chance that these slabs will be quite soft in the beginning, but touchy nonetheless. As the day progresses and winds continue to increase we expect many areas to be at the upper end of the Considerable rating and moving into the High rating late in the day and overnight tonight. The Lip is forecasted at High today due to it's ideal aspect and history of running frequently under these conditions. While we expect the Lip to reach High before other areas, I don't expect its neighbors to be far behind. It is worth noting that if we get natural avalanche activity, we could see these avalanches rip out older slabs that are sitting on our unforgiving ice pack underneath. This is a scenario we could see in a number of areas, but especially in the Lip, Bowl and Sluice. The Lower Snowfields have a Considerable rating due to the potential for the Duchess, which runs into the Lower Snowfields, to avalanche.

Due to the very light snow densities, I would bet you are going to encounter icy conditions in areas that aren't being loaded with new snow. Crampons, an ice axe and solid technique are a must in most areas. The older snow is more like alpine ice and self-arrest is very difficult to execute successfully. Use caution and be honest about your skills and mountaineering experience.

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. New snow is covering long sections of water ice, deep waterbars and water channels that can grab a ski tip very quickly.