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, February 8th, 2004 at 7:30 am.

 

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General Conditions:

Blustery and cold weather out there makes me say that today is a day for the sheltered areas.  You can still find lots of great powder to ski and ride on most aspects, as long as the wind hasn’t reached them.  A few inches of new snow overnight and lots of sustained winds from the WSW will allow for lots of old tracks to be filled in.  Currently it is 0 degrees at 11,700’, 11 degrees at 9,500’ and the winds are now blowing out of the NW in the teens.  Snow depths range from 46” at the trailhead to 70” in Gold Basin.  The road will not be plowed today, so 4WD and chains are recommended.

 

 Mountain Weather:

The weather has been a little colder and windier than anticipated.  Snow showers should linger around for the first part of the day, with highs around 20 and WNW winds in the teens.  Tonight, skies will be partly cloudy, with lows in the single digits and NNW winds at 11-14mph.  Tomorrow, temps warm up a little bit with highs in the upper 20’s and a NNE wind in the teens. 

 

Avalanche Conditions:

Touchy conditions continue to  linger from our buried January weak layers-in some places just old sugary near surface facets, and in other lower elevation areas it is feathery weak surface hoar on top of sugary depth hoar.  The last few storms have planted themselves on top of theses layers, and in some locations the weight is being piled on and barely adjusted to by the snow pack.  We did see a bit of natural avalanche activity on steep NE-NW aspects above 10,500’ in our last storm, but since then the winds have replenished a fairly sizeable load in many locations.  Essentially there is a lot to think about out there depending on your aspect and elevation.  At and above treeline, the main concerns are slopes that have not avalanched recently and places that are newly wind loaded-the danger in these locations on slopes steeper than 35 degrees is CONSIDERABLE.  Below treeline, especially below 10,000’, the danger is confined to open avalanche terrain and terrain traps, where the weak January snow resides in abundance-in these locations there is a CONSIDERABLE danger as well.  I would watch my slope angles and avoid wind loaded terrain on a day like today.

 

Remember a CONSIDERABLE danger means human triggered avalanches are PROBABLE and natural avalanches are possible.

 

Nordic and Skate Skiing:  The Tag-a-Long snow cat was out and back to Tomasaki hut on Thursday-yesterday a bunch of snowmobiles packed out the road as well.