Presidential Range

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist across the Presidential Range. In areas of softer snow in wind-protected areas, triggering a small avalanche is unlikely but not impossible. Continue to make slope-specific stability assessments and use thoughtful travel techniques in avalanche terrain.

Expect to find firm (pencil +) snow conditions in most alpine terrain and slightly softer (1 finger) wind slabs in isolated areas of wind-sheltered terrain, especially on southeast-facing slopes. In these more sheltered areas, it is not out of the question to find an area of reactive snow - but the terrain should limit this possibility to small pockets. Avoidance and mitigation of this avalanche hazard can be done with thoughtful terrain choices, stability assessments, and travel techniques.

There is some uncertainty around the amount of new snow and mixed precipitation arriving tonight. With the Mount Washington Observatory calling for 1 - 3 inches and the National Weather Service calling for 2 - 4 inches, we will have a clearer idea of how this will affect avalanche hazard for tomorrow morning’s avalanche forecast. Even if we see the lower snow total, expect some level of heightened avalanche danger with the potential for rapid wind loading building new wind slabs on a very firm snow surface.  

Over the past couple weeks, avalanche paths have become significantly more developed and have the capability of producing larger avalanches in future storms. Keep this in mind with your future route planning and realize that upcoming storms are loading new snow into a much bigger metaphorical gun. 

The Lion Head Summer Trail is CLOSED due to increased avalanche hazard. The Lion Head Winter Route is OPEN and the most direct route to the Mount Washington Summit from Pinkham Notch. 

OBSERVATIONS: Please consider submitting an observation of what you are seeing in your travels. Submitting an observation hones your skills, informs other users, and improves our forecasts.