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 Saturday, January 17th, 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 [email protected] or [email protected] .

General Conditions:

Well, the fog might creep back in, but the mountains should remain nice. Right now it is 27 degrees at 9,600’, 15 degrees with 22-33mph winds from the NE at 11,700’ and 10 degrees down in town. Snow surfaces vary from settled and recrystalized powder in the sheltered and shady locations to chalky hard wind slabs in the exposed areas and stout sun crusts on southerly aspects. The road is in great shape as well. Currently snow depths range from 3 to 5 feet.

Mountain Weather:

As my friend Drew at the SLC office said, this is pretty boring for weather geeks like us. Every avalanche professional and skier I know is obsessed with the forecast and models and radars, etc…so this pattern is pretty bad if you like to watch the weather and powder ride or ski. Today mostly sunny in the afternoon, light winds from the NE and highs near 35. Tonight, mostly clear, lows in the single digits with NNE winds at 5-10mph. Tomorrow, more of the same, mostly sunny with highs in the 30s and light winds from the S at 5-10mph.

Avalanche Conditions:

This weather is great for a few things-like peak bagging and exploring places you haven’t been before. Personally, I have been able to see places I have never seen and check out terrain that you would normally wait until spring for. Our big early season snows have filled in lots of terrain, and the winds have packed it into place. For today, be wary in the upper elevations that overnight winds and high relative humidity’s may have laid down a few shallow and sensitive slabs, but nothing too big as there is not too much snow to transport. Otherwise the snowpack is relatively unreactive, except for the weakening surface snow, which is nice to ski or ride in, and the occasional pocket at and above treeline. Therefore the avalanche danger is mostly LOW, with the occasional pocket of MODERATE on slopes steeper than 35 degrees at or above treeline on wind loaded shady aspects.

Nordic and Skate Skiing:

The Tag-a-Long snow cat has groomed up to the Beaver Lake Hut and traffic on the Geyser Pass Road means some good Nordic skiing-definitely a great option with the weather like this in town. Warm snow temps during the day.