Huntington Ravine has MODERATE avalanche danger. Natural avalanches are unlikely and human triggered avalanches are possible on steep open slopes and gullies. Use caution in steeper terrain.

Mount Washington has been living up to its reputation lately. Winds at the summit had been near or exceeding 100mph (161kph) for about 40 hours straight, only having recently subsided to a mere 80mph (129kph). These winds have been able to move a tremendous amount of the new snow that has fallen on the mountain this week (28 inches or 71.5cm at Hermit Lake since Wednesday). What this is doing for the stability of our snowpack depends a great deal on where you are looking. In Tuckerman, the WNW winds directly load much of the Ravine, most notably the Bowl, Headwall, and Lip. The greater Lip and Headwall area are the greatest concern, however, other locations also have had, and continue to have, new snow blowing in and creating slabs worthy of attention. Any place you travel in Tuckerman puts you in the realm of Considerable danger, meaning that natural avalanches are possible and human triggered avalanches are probable. Much of the Ravine has just come down from a High rating, and is at the upper end of Considerable today. We are currently receiving some light snow flurries here at Hermit Lake which we expect to taper off along with the winds later in the day. As always, keep your eyes open for changing weather conditions.

In contrast to Tuckerman, the gullies of Huntington Ravine have been hammered by the sustained high winds. We are posting Moderate danger for Huntington mostly due to the conditions you'll need to travel through to get to the base of the ice. When the winds kick up, the snow has to go someplace. This has created areas of concern on the approaches to the gullies. Getting up into O'Dell's, Pinnacle, Central, Yale...pretty much everywhere down low, will involve either crossing steep snow or a desperate attempt at bushwhacking to avoid the snow. If you find yourself choosing to approach via the snow, remember your rules for safe travel in avalanche terrain, most importantly only expose one person to danger at any given time. The other stability concern we have for Huntington is pockets hiding in strongly sheltered lee areas or those which have been cross-loaded up high in the gullies. Whenever possible, try to stay on the scoured old surfaces to avoid pockets like these.

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.

The John Sherburne Ski Trail will be quite slow due to drifting in numerous locations particularly in long low angle or flat terrain. This may change as weekend traffic breaks it up to something more skiable. Snowboarders should consider bringing poles for the long flat sections or to keep you from floundering should you get eaten up by a deep drift. All caveats aside, the trail is actually enjoyable as long as you're not expecting a groomed trail.