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 Friday, December 3rd, 2004 at 8:30 a.m.  

 

To see past advisories check out the ARCHIVE.  To see current conditions go to our WEATHER PAGE.  To see photos go to the AVIPHOTOS page.

 

General Conditions:

Under clear skies, some of the coldest sunny weather temperatures we see here in the desert continue to linger.  However a storm on Sunday should shake that pattern up a little bit.  Otherwise more great skiing and riding is on tap for the La Sals with settled soft snow found on most aspects, with only slight crusts forming on southerly aspects.  Above treeline locations offer up a mixed bag of wind affected snow on windward aspects.  Currently it is 14 degrees at the Geyser Pass Trailhead with 22” of snow on the ground, and up to 40”+ in Gold Basin.  At 11,700’ winds are light and out of the SW with a temperature of about 10 degrees.

 

Mark your calendars for December 6th, at 7-8 p.m. when the Southeastern Utah Winter Search and Rescue Team puts on a SKI SWAP!  If you are trying to sell any type of snow related equipment or clothing or are looking for some equipment yourself, this is going to be the best place to do it in Moab for this winter season. 

 

Mountain Weather:

This cold air mass will continue to dominate our weather for the rest of the week with the next chance of snow coming on Sunday.

Today:  Clear high near 34.  Winds NE at 5-10 mph.

Tonight:  Clear.  Low near 5.  Winds ENE at 5-10

Saturday:  Partly cloudy.  High near 36.  Winds ENE at 5 mph.

 

Avalanche Conditions:

As the last storm fades into memory, so do some of the warning signs of avalanche activity and the present danger in the mountains.  There are still a few persistent weak layers lingering in the snow pack, such as our buried surface hoar layer from the 20th of November, but the places where you could trigger an avalanche are becoming sporadic.  That does not mean that it is impossible to trigger a slide; it is just going to take the additional weight of a winter traveler or two and being in the wrong place to do so.  These wrong places where the avalanche danger is MODERATE are on slopes steeper than 35 degrees on wind loaded slopes mostly on ENE-N-WNW aspects at or above treeline.  Sunnier slopes have settled out a bit but cross loaded gullies may still react a bit.  Be wary of the steep and shady spot below treeline where the persistent weak layers are even more dramatic, but the snow load may not be as large.

 

Anybody who traveled up into the La Sals lately would have observed some limited avalanche activity on all aspects and at all elevations.  On some southerly aspects there were some point releases that started some loose snow avalanches.  If you took a careful look around, you would have seen crown lines just at or above treeline or on the lee side of ridges.  One avalanche to note is that the north ridge of the Horse Creek drainage ripped out below the weather station, although the fracture line was half way down the slope. 

 

Nordic and Skate Skiing:

An enjoyable day for you classic Nordic skiers.  Skate skiing will be compromised due to the fact the track is not very wide.