Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center

US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest

Introduction:

Good Morning! This is Evan Stevens with the USFS Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center with your avalanche and mountain weather advisory. Today is Monday, January 18th, 2004 at 7:30am.

February 7^th through 9^th is our Level 1 avalanche course. Call 259-7155 to register.

Click here for recent photos. Click here for Snowpits. You can always email us observations as well by clicking here, or sending a message to estevens@fs.fed.us or mforgensi@fs.fed.us .

The danger rating in this advisory will expire in 24 hours, and will be updated again on Thursday Morning.

General Conditions:

It is actually cloudy today and it may even flurry…it has been a while so even one snow flake will get me excited. 17 degrees at the trailhead, 12 degrees up high with light winds out of the WNW. We still have 3.5-5 feet of snow on the ground. Northerly sheltered locations still have some fun recrystalized powder, while upper elevations are hammered chalky wind buff and southerly aspects are stout crusts, which won’t soften up today. The road is in great shape.

Mountain Weather:

I wish I could say something a little more for this so called ‘storm’ but the piddly inch or two it will deposit will just hide the old variable snow surfaces underneath. The forecast details…today, 30% chance of snow with less than an inch expected; highs near 28 with light NNW winds. Tuesday will be a carbon copy of today, with maybe a drop more snow. Wednesday is the same. After that it should clear out again, with no storms on the horizon…

Avalanche Conditions:

Until we get any new snow the avalanche danger will remain at mostly LOW, with the isolated pocket of MODERATE danger on slopes steeper than 35 degrees at or above treeline on wind loaded shady aspects. Get out, explore, enjoy the sunshine, it is the desert after all. You may find the occasional old, small and hard wind slab or loose surface snow that may knock you off of your feet, but otherwise you will find mostly stable snow out there. Go bag a few peaks.

Nordic and Skate Skiing:

The Tag-a-Long snow cat has groomed up to the Beaver Lake Hut and the Tomasaki Hut so there is some great Nordic and skate skiing out there right now.