US Forest Service Manti-La Sal National Forest
Snow, Weather and Avalanche Advisory
Introduction:
Good Morning! This is Max
Forgensi with the USFS Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center with your avalanche and
mountain weather advisory for the Wasatch Plateau/Manti Skyline Region,
including, but not limited to Huntington and Fairview Canyons. This advisory is brought to you through a
partnership of Utah State Parks and the USFS. Today is Sunday, December 5th,
2004 at 7:30 am.
To see some of the Manti Skyline’s past advisories check out the ARCHIVE. To see current conditions go to our WEATHER PAGE. To see photos go to the AVIPHOTOS page.
We are booking basic avalanche awareness classes all over the
Skyline region and have our first AIARE Level I Avalanche Course. The Level I American Institute for
Avalanche, Research and Education class is a three day course with an emphasis
on field days. Call (435) 636-3363 to
sign up for this FREE course being held in Mt. Pleasant. Class dates are January 14th thru
the 16th. Limit of 18
students.
Current Conditions:
The snowmobiling conditions have improved
dramatically since Thanksgiving and there is enough snow on the ground to
travel on your favorite trails and start venturing out into more remote
locations. A few people got out
yesterday and there is plenty of powder left for all. READ THE AVALANCHE CONDITIONS BELOW FOR
MORE INFORMATION.
Snow depths vary depending on what aspect
and elevation you are at. Most
Southerly and Westerly aspects have shallow snow cover and obstacles such as
rocks, logs and stumps are lurking just under the surface, if they aren’t
exposed! On your North and East
aspects, that is where you’ll find the most snow cover, from 20”-48” in favored
locations. At the Mammoth/Cottonwood
SNOTEL site there is 19” on the ground.
But there is a catch, where the snow is, that is where the AVALANCHE
DANGER is.
Mountain Weather:
Expect mostly cloudy skies today with Highs in the 20’s and winds
out of the Southwest at 15 mph. For
Sunday night, the chance of snow increases throughout the evening. 1”-3” are expected. Lows will dip down to 5-10 above. On Monday, expect mostly cloudy skies with a
50% of additional accumulations.
Avalanche Conditions:
There was a lot of avalanche activity up on the Skyline since the
past storm. Numerous avalanches
occurred on N-E aspects and at elevations between 9,000’-10,000’ Most avalanches occurred on slopes greater
than 35 degrees. They started at rollovers,
just below wind-loaded ridges and on the convexity of slopes. There were more avalanches observed on
Friday than most of last season. The
shallow early season snow depths and cold temperatures have created a
relatively weak snow pack. This season is much different than last season! For today, I am going to rate the
avalanche hazard at MODERATE on N-E aspects on slopes greater than 35
degrees. Take your clues from Mother
Nature. If an avalanche occurred on one
aspect and elevation, slopes on the same aspect and elevation should be treated
as suspect. Below are some other things
to think about before heading up.
As the snow starts to fall on the Wasatch Plateau, it is time to
start thinking about how to recreate safely in the snow and mountains. And with that, one always thinks of avalanches and how to identify potential hazardous
areas. There is a lot of terrain to go
out and explore, a little pre-planning and knowledge goes a long way. Checking this advisory before you venture
out as one of your tools is a step in the right direction. For the time being, here is some things to
incorporate this year into your backcountry adventures.
Ø
The early season takes us all by surprise, make sure
you have packed the essentials.
Ø
Change the batteries on your avalanche transceiver and
remember to practice!
Ø
Let someone know of your plan
Ø
Go out and have fun!
Once you are on the slopes, pay attention
to where recent wind loads are, be wary of open streams and newly deposited
cornices.