Huntington Ravine has Low avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are very unlikely and human triggered avalanches are unlikely except in isolated pockets. Normal caution is advised.

Winds increased through the day yesterday and managed to surpass their forecasted speeds as they were sustained over 100 mph (161 kph) for several hours with a peak gust at 127 mph (202 kph). These winds, paired with a record low for the day of -26 F (-32 C), made for very challenging conditions above treeline to say the least. Today we will see temperatures "climb" to -10 F (-23 C) late in the day and winds will decrease to 50 to 75 mph (80 to 120 kph) as well. Realize that this is what we expect conditions to become later today. The summit currently has sustained winds at 90 mph (144 kph) and the temperature is -22 F (-30 C).

In addition to making for difficult travel conditions, the winds managed to move a fair amount of snow around and the question for today is: where did the wind move it to? The answer for Huntington Ravine is out of the ravine. Winds sustained in the high 90's and 100 mph range for the entire day scoured the snow out of the gullies and moved it to lower parts of the mountain. In Tuckerman Ravine, the strong winds moved enough snow into the Ravine to cause some natural avalanche activity. In looking at the weather data from the past 48 hours, I think that the impressive winds were able to transport snow from distant locations on the other side of the mountain and find the pockets of "100 mph" snow that wouldn't budge from lighter winds. This has left us with a variety of surface conditions including some problematic slabs. The area of most concern today is in the Lip and areas immediately around it as these locations are more sheltered from the wind. This means that slabs will be softer than others found in the Ravine and, therefore, more sensitive to a human trigger. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem as though Left Gully and the south side of the Ravine are as wind affected as I would have thought. If you find yourself in avalanche terrain today be very suspicious of the new slabs as the cold temperatures are keeping them snappy.

THE LION HEAD WINTER ROUTE IS OPEN. This is a steep and challenging route. Crampons, an ice axe, and the ability to properly use this equipment are necessary for safe travel on this route.