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 Sunday, 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 [email protected] or [email protected] .

General Conditions:

You know, the weather isn’t changing much, and I don’t think we will se a significant storm for quite some time. That’s okay, because we aren’t in the fog anymore and the folks from up north are flocking down here to escape the inversion. I guess for now we can keep enjoying the sunshine in the mountains and the decent recrystalized and settled powder in the sheltered and shady locations. Elsewhere, there are stout sun crusts on southerly aspects and chalky hard wind buff in the upper elevations. Currently it is 18 degrees at the trailhead, 15 degrees up high, and winds are light out of the NE. Snow depths range from 3.5 to 5 feet. The road is plowed and in great shape as well.

Mountain Weather:

Don’t ask, just keep your hats and sunscreen on for a few more days, maybe even weeks.

Avalanche Conditions:

Until we get any new snow the avalanche danger will remain at mostly LOW, with the occasional pocket of MODERATE 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.