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

Well we got the moisture, we just didn't get the light fluffy snow to make it amount to two feet. During this last storm the Summit recorded 10.8" (27.7 cm) of new snow and Hermit Lake received just about the same amount. The density of this snow increased through the storm with a lot of needles and capped columns falling. We also had a brief period of freezing drizzle all the way up to the Summit. This formed a thin crust in both Ravines that is now about 1 cm below the surface in the bottom of Huntington and Tuckerman. The total water equivalent recorded on the Summit from the storm was 1.35" (3.4 cm). Winds were out of the SE for most of the day yesterday and shifted to the WNW at 9pm and are now out of the west. The SE winds blew at the upper end of their forecasted speeds yesterday and topped out with a gust of 88 mph (142 kph). This storm did create some avalanche activity, however, it is hard to tell the entire story as most places have filled in since they avalanched. In Tuckerman it looks like Dodge's and the Lip have fracture lines still showing and in Huntington it appears that Central may have avalanched. The Summit observers we able to see into the Great Gulf this morning and noticed a fracture line on top of Pipeline Gully on Mt. Clay.

As for today, there are two stability issues. One is the existing slabs from yesterday's storm that are prone to human triggered avalanches. These slabs can be found in most locations right now in both Ravine with the Lip and the snowfields high in the Headwall in Tuckerman being the most concern right now. The second stability issue will develop this afternoon as another shot of snow will arrive and give the western slopes about 2-4" (5-10 cm) and the eastern slopes 1-3" (2.5-7.5 cm). Winds will be out of the west between 30 and 50 mph (48 to 80 kph) with gusts into the 60 mph (96 kph)range. These winds are loading some snow into the Ravines now and will continue to do so as we receive more new snow that should be lighter density than what is currently on the ground. The snow coming in this afternoon is the main reason that most forecast areas are posted at Considerable. This will load into the Ravines creating new wind slabs and increasing the load on the slabs that have been deposited in the last 24 hours. Currently there are several gullies in Huntington that would fall into the Moderate rating and a few areas in Tuckerman that would fall into the Moderate rating. As we start loading new snow into the Ravines early this afternoon, some areas will be more of a concern than others. In Huntington Ravine, Yale, Central, Pinnacle, O'Dell and South will enter the Considerable rating earlier than Damnation, North and the Escape Hatch. In Tuckerman I would expect the Bowl, Lip, Headwall and Sluice to reach the upper end of the Considerable rating due to the growing potential of natural avalanches.

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 is open and has generally good coverage with new snow covering most of the trail.