Huntington Ravine has HIGH avalanche danger today. Natural and human triggered avalanches are likely. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended.

I want to thank all of you faithful snow lovers for doing your dances, offerings and other assorted snow-inducing rituals this season. It may have taken awhile but the mountain is finally picking up the snow it deserves. The Summit started recording snow just before midnight and the intensity should be picking up as the day progresses. Right now we're under a pocket of slightly drier air than the rest of the region but still getting enough snow to make us twitchy. Slightly rimed capped columns averaging 1.5mm are currently the dominant crystal type with a variety of needles, spatial dendrites and stellars rounding out the mix. This should change as the moister air moves in later this morning and the columns disappear. Differences in crystal type can help determine how layers of new snow may interact but on days like today its important to remember the big picture--THE NWS IS PREDICTING UP TO 2'(61cm) OF NEW SNOW BY THE TIME THIS STORM MOVES OUT TONIGHT!! Accompanying winds will stay out of the SE at 35-50mph (55-80kph) for the first part of the day before wrapping around to the W tonight. Wind speeds are likely to rise to 70mph (113kph) for a short window during the middle of the day before returning to the morning's predicted speeds. The wind direction may not be ideal for snow loading into the ravines but the speeds are pretty favorable. If you remember the storm of Valentine's Day you should recall that we had such strong winds that we actually ended up with less snow in Huntington after the storm as a result of massive scouring and transport to the lower elevations. With today's combination of factors we believe avalanche activity is likely to occur in most forecast areas. Although some areas may not reach the High rating during the daylight hours access generally requires travel through the runout of an area with higher concern. An example of this would be the Lower Snowfields with its commonly used approach from Hillman's Highway. Remember you don't have to be in steep terrain to get punished by the avalanche demons, even the lower angled runouts will do.

Though the meat of the storm system will pass out of the area this evening, we expect to see ongoing stability issues throughout the weekend. Upslope snow will pervade both days and a shift to W winds will increase the amount of transport taking place. Make sure to check the weekend update this evening and the advisory tomorrow morning if you're headed this way.

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 Little Headwall has filled in with snow; however, it is quite a thrash to get into and out of the skiable terrain. The John Sherburne Ski Trail is open and has generally good coverage with new powder, drifted snow and some scoured sections.