US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest

 Introduction:  Good Morning this is Max Forgensi with the USFS Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center with your avalanche and mountain weather advisory.  Today is Saturday, February 4th, 2006 at 7:30 am. This advisory will expire in 24 hours.

 

THE AIARE LEVEL 1 IS CURRENTLY BEING TAUGHT IN THE LA SAL MOUNTAINS WITH 12 STUDENTS.  THE LEVEL 2 STILL HAS 4 OPENINGS LEFT.  PLEASE CALL (435) 636-3363 FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO SIGN UP. 

 

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.

 

 Hey backcountry users!  Click HERE to give us your observations…ANY OBSERVATIONS!   We have only received ONE observation from backcountry users in the La Sals, while up on the Skyline we get a couple every week…shape up!  

  

General Conditions:

          Today is going to be a beautiful day to go out and enjoy the La Sal Mountains.  2”-4” has fallen in the past 48 hours up in the mountains, making sheltered slopes an enjoyable place to go and find some powder.  Friday nights wind did effect the snow conditions on any open slope and every aspect.  Wind slabs of 1”-3” thick will be found below tree-line, while above tree-line wind slabs are 1’-2’ thick.  They are everywhere…cross-loaded slopes, wind-loaded slopes and not a natural avalanche to report.   Read on to the avalanche conditions to find out more. 

          The road to the Geyser Pass Trailhead was plowed to perfection yesterday and the skate skiing conditions to Geyser Pass will be superb due to Tag-a-Long tours making a pass up to the Tomasaki hut. 

 

Mountain Weather: (At 10,500’)

               Today: Partly cloudy, with a high near 41. Breezy, with a southwest wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
               Tonight: Snow likely after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. Breezy, with a southwest wind 20 to 25 mph becoming northwest. Winds could gust as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.
               Sunday: Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high around 28. Blustery, with a north northwest wind between 15 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Weather Station/ Location

Snow Depth (HS):  in./cm

New Snow (HN) in./cm

6:00 a.m. Temp (F)

Current Observations:  Wind, 48 hour snow

Geyser Pass Trailhead (9,600’):

30’’/75 cm

0”

19

2” in past 48 hours

Geyser Pass

 52”/130 cm

n/a

N/a 

Gold Basin and South Mountain

44”/110cm 

0”

N/a 

4” in past 48 hours

Pre-Laurel Peak Station (11,705’)

N/a 

N/a 

~

Needs a new battery

 

Avalanche Conditions: (Link to the International Avalanche Danger Scale here)

       With the new snow and strong winds that came out of the North, the wind affected every open area in the La Sal mountains two nights ago.  There is a tessellated wind slab pattern everywhere on the mountains…if it isn’t cross-loaded, the starting zones on leeward slopes are loaded. In some places the wind affected the slopes in more ways than one.  It is a bit unnerving that we haven’t had a large natural avalanche cycle yet.  We know that on most Northerly and Easterly aspect the snow contains mature depth hoar crystals, the snow hasn’t received enough new stress to tip towards failure.  What it is going to take is either a significant snowfall with some wind, or a human trigger.  Remember though, depth hoar crystals are very persistent crystals and they just don’t disappear naturally in the mid-winter in a shallow continental snow pack.  This season has many similarities to the winter of 1991-1992 in which we lost 4 citizens of the Moab community in an avalanche accident.  Lets learn from past mistakes and not let history repeat itself this time.  

       The BOTTOM LINE for today will be a avalanche danger of CONSIDERABLE on steep, wind drifted and cross-loaded slopes on NW-N-NE-E aspects.  Remote triggering an avalanche is a definite possibility…stay away from the deposition zones of avalanche paths.  The rest of the range will be MODERATE.  Have fun with all the new snow and thanks for checking in. 

 

Take a look at a snowpit from our tour on 01/15/06 here.