US
Forest Service
Manti-La Sal National
Forest
Introduction: Good
morning! This is Dave Medara with
the
WE ARE STARTING TO FILL UP OUR AIARE LEVEL 1 AND LEVEL
2 CLASSES BEING HELD IN THE LA SALS THIS YEAR. THE LEVEL 1 IS FEBRUARY 3RD-5TH
(FRI-SUN), WHILE OUR LEVEL 2 IS MARCH 3RD-6TH (FRI-MON). CALL (435) 636-3363 FOR MORE
INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP. EACH
CLASS IS LIMITED TO 12 STUDENTS.
TUITION GOES DIRECTLY TOWARDS THE FRIENDS OF THE
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:
It seems that the best bet for winter
recreational opportunities in the La Sal Mountains over the holiday weekend
will be limited to sledding and cross country skiing on the road and trails.
There is a lot of ground hazard out there and punji stakes in wooded areas so
heads up! Conditions for classic cross-country and skate skiing on the roads
are excellent as well as the snowmobiling on the roads. But be warned,
Backcountry skiing conditions are really bad, and the cover is extremely thin
for both snowmobiling or backcountry ski touring unless you’re a true diehard
The mostly sunny weather forecast for the next couple of days is not
going to change the situation very much, so be sure to include a snow dance in
your Christmas celebrations. Nightly freezing temperatures should continue so
at least the ice conditions in the sloughs will improve! The Grand
County Road Department did plow the road, although it is still icy and snow
packed in spots. 4WD and chains
are recommended.
Current Conditions: (click location for latest data)
Geyser
Pass Trailhead (9,600’): 5.2”
at the SNOTEL. 12” on the stake at the geyser Pass Trailhead. No trailhead
temperature available
Gold Basin and South Mountain:
19” of settled snow on the ground.
Mountain Weather: (At 10,500’)
Today...Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of rain and snow
in the morning...Then partly cloudy in the afternoon. Highs in the 40s.
Northwest winds 10 to 15 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight...Mostly clear. Lows 15 to 25. North winds 10 to 15
mph. Gusts up to 30 mph in the evening.
Saturday...Mostly sunny. Highs 35 to 45. Northeast winds 10 to
15 mph. Gusts up to 25 mph in the afternoon.
Saturday Night...Mostly clear. Lows 10 to 20. North winds 10
to 15 mph in the evening becoming light.
Christmas Day...Mostly sunny. Highs in the 40s.
Sunday Night...Partly cloudy. Lows 15 to 25. Highs 35 to 45.
Avalanche Conditions: (Link to the
International Avalanche Danger Scale here)
For those who really dare to go out
there…. Here is the avi report. As one might expect, on all the shady aspects, East
thru NW facing there is extremely weak snow on the ground with a depth of
anywhere from 8” to 24” or so. There are some higher density wind slabs on top
of this weak faceted snow in some areas, particularly above tree line or in
otherwise wind affected areas. On SE thru West facing slopes expect to find a
collections of sun crusts, wind crusts and weak faceted snow, grass and rocks,
all with-in a 6-12” layer of snow. There may be some supportable crusts to ski
out there on wind packed ridgelines, but make sure you’re on your rock skis.
These conditions make for a pretty negligible avalanche
hazard throughout most of the range except on steep E thru NW facing slopes
where weak, unconsolidated snow could accumulate into a loose snow avalanche or
some odd pocket of wind slab hasn’t broken down into faceted snow yet. The
BOTTOM Line is a MODERATE hazard on high elevation East through NW facing
slopes and LOW
hazard throughout the majority of the range