Good Afternoon and welcome to the start of the 2009-2010 snow and avalanche season on the Manti-La Sal National Forest. We'll be issuing forecasts Monday, Wed/Thurs. and Friday with more frequent updates during storms or rapidly changing conditions. Pray for snow!

Low Avalanche Danger in the Mountains of SE Utah. Not much snow so be careful if you do venture out into the winter backcountry. Snow in the forecast beginning Saturday night. Expect changing conditions and an increase in the Avalanche Danger for Sunday and into next week if the weather forecast verifies.

Snow on North facing and Shady terrain above about 9500'. We have about 14" of snow on the ground at our Gold Basin Study Plot. Hardly enough yet for backcountry skiing and riding.

Cross Country skiing is possible on the roads, but no grooming has begun yet. It's pretty rough from vehicles too.

Avalanche danger LOW on upper elevation N. facing slopes and non-existent on other slopes.

The Geyser Pass Road and the La Sal Loop road are open and passable but expect some icy sections.

* Please Note * - See weather forecast below. SE Utah is forecast to receive a sizable amount of new snow beginning this weekend and continuing into next week. If we get 6 inches or more, we can expect a rapid and potentially large spike in the Avalanche Danger. The current snowpack, composed mainly of Faceted Grains, is a weak layer and will not hold much of a new snow load before reaching critical avalanche loads.

none reported or observed.

National Weather Service Forecast for 10,000 Ft. : CHILLY!

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 5. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south southeast. Saturday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 26. South southwest wind between 10 and 15 mph. Saturday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow after 11pm. Cloudy, with a low around 9. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Sunday: A 50 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 15. West wind around 5 mph becoming south. Sunday Night: A 50 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 8. Monday: Snow. High near 19. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Monday Night: Snow. Cloudy, with a low around 8. Tuesday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 14. Tuesday Night: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 7. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 18. Wednesday Night: A chance of snow. Cloudy, with a low around 14. Thursday: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 22.

LUNA Groomer Training December 12th - Contact Kiersten Peterson at 260-0042 if you are interested in volunteering for the Lower Utah Nordic Alliance grooming team.

Basic Avalanche Awareness Class - Grand County Library, January 12th - 5:30 - 8:00 PM.

LSAC Level One Avalanche Class - 3 days, January 29 - 31 - Call 435-636-3363 to reserve a spot or get more info.