The avalanche danger remains the same today with a breakable crust being a prominent feature around the mountain. There is still a concern about pockets of instability in the Bowl, Lip and Headwall areas. Some snow was wind transported yesterday into the Ravines and with the cold temperatures I would expect any new pockets to have some snap to them. Seek out areas where the crust is still near or on the surface and expect some post-hole conditions to slow you down. We are seeing some facet growth start below the crust and I expect it to continue at a rapid pace due to the strong temperature gradient in the snow. It is interesting to see, though I don't expect it to affect stability much. I would expect it to allow larger plates of the crust to rip out as they are disturbed by you or an avalanche. Our next chance for snow comes Thursday night and could linger into Saturday. We will keep you posted as the models sort out the system and give us a better idea of what to expect.

Today is a rugged day to be venturing above treeline. At 7 am it was -27F (-33C) on the Summit with a NW wind blowing at 86 mph (136 kph). Temperatures will struggle to reach the negative teens F and the winds are expected to remain out of the NW between 65 and 95 mph (104 and 153 kph). You better be exceptionally well prepared for these conditions and a little out in left field to enjoy a climb above treeline today. Tomorrow we will see the temperatures rise into the single digits F and winds will shift to the west and relax to 40 to 55 mph (65 to 89 kph). While these are still challenging conditions, tomorrow would be a much better day to head into the mountains.

The Lion Head Summer Trail is still open. The Summer Trail crosses an avalanche prone slope that has not developed as of yet. The Winter Route is not built for travel without adequate snow cover, so although we are in winter, please help keep the Winter Route in good shape by using the Summer Trail.