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

There is so much to talk about today it's a bit tough to keep it concise and yet focus on the most relevant. The main topic is the continued rain and warm temperatures resulting in replacing the ice axe on my pack with a carbon fiber canoe paddle. The river from Hermit Lake to Pinkham is open and the Little Headwall is beginning to show the watery demons below. The summit has picked up .57" (1.45cm) of water in the past 36 hours, mostly in the form of rain. In addition the snowpack is rapidly melting sending copious amounts of melt water down through the snow assisting precipitation in lubricating buried ice layers. We have lost a lot of snow through this process and will continue doing so before this afternoon's "lock up". The approaching mass of cold air will send the summit temperatures from the current of 38F (3.5C ) into the teens freezing the snowpack from the surface down. Until then we may receive another .3 to .5" (.75-1.25cm) of rain with periods of heavy intensity before the cold front pushes through between noon and 2pm. The front may be associated with a boom or two from thunder activity. This will generate an instability crescendo as we reach maximum load and freewater in our angled terrain just before the plummeting mercury. Any natural avalanche activity today will have impressive destructive force due to the mass of wet snow so we hope the snowpack stays in place or an ugly mess of wet debris will result. The other concern that can trigger wet avalanches are river blowouts near the Lip and the Little Headwall. Their respective holes are increasing as I write.

Travel anywhere today will be difficult. Even walking up the packed Tuckerman trail from Pinkham will plunge your boots down into the snow. Getting off trail will be a real challenge even with snowshoes. Conversely, expect very hard conditions in all locations tomorrow requiring crampons and an ice axe for all angled terrain. Ice climbers in Huntington today should expect falling rock and ice and failure of snow pockets that are sitting on the slick water ice below. After the freeze up anticipate hazardous ice dams tomorrow.

If the weather forecast plays out we will likely move down through the danger ratings very quickly after the front passes, likely being at "Low" by dark. During the overnight we expect clearing conditions before the next weather maker arrives late tomorrow. The impending storm is compact carrying considerable moisture over its track. Because it will travel over the landmass in a tight corridor it's exact track is critical. It will likely be boom or bust, but nonetheless we will receive snow into the weekend. We will discuss it at length tomorrow morning and in the Weekend Update Friday evening. Anticipate an elevated avalanche danger rating for the weekend.

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 with top to bottom coverage, but expect bare spots to be opening up and rocks with this period of melt.