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 for the Wasatch Plateau/Manti Skyline Region, including but not limited to Ephraim, Huntington and Fairview Canyons. This advisory is brought to you through a partnership with Utah State Parks. Today is Sunday, January 30^th, 2005 at 7:30 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.

Remember, next weekend is our FREE 3 day Level 1 avalanche course for skiers and snowboarders in Mt. Pleasant. Call us at 636 3363 for info and to register. We will also put on another class for snowmobilers if there is enough interest, so call us up!

General Conditions:

The pitter patter of precip from the last week has added up to a few inches of new snow that warm temperatures and the sun have settled out in certain locations. You can still find some great turning and riding conditions, but be on the look out for the bone jarring old tracks. Conditions are fun out there, much improved over the last few weeks of crusty tracked out snow, especially if you can find the random pocket that hasn’t been tracked out. The road is plowed, but snowpacked in sections, so 4WD is recommended.

Current Conditions (6 a.m.):

Miller Flat (8,800’): 41” of settled snow on the ground with 4-6” of new snow since Thursday. It is about 12 degrees right now under clear skies.

Top of the Skyline: 50 to 70” of settled snow on the ground with about 4-6” of new snow since Thursday.

Mountain Weather: (At 8,000’)

Today...Mostly cloudy. A chance of snow in the morning...Then a slight chance of snow in the afternoon. Highs at 8000 feet in the mid 30s. Chance of snow 30 percent.
Tonight...Partly cloudy. Lows at 8000 feet near 15.
Monday...Mostly sunny. Highs at 8000 feet in the mid 30s.

Avalanche Conditions:

With mild temperatures, limited new snow and calm wind speeds, the avalanche danger is not changing dramatically. However, don’t let your guard down, as the few inches of new snow available for the wind to blow around could pile up into shallow slabs that may be enough to take you for a ride into a tree or into a terrain trap. Although we won’t be seeing big and scary avalanches, it is a day to consider obstacles and terrain traps, and if it looks like some wind loading is occurring, to avoid those steep and shady wind loaded slopes. The bottom line is an avalanche danger that may rise to MODERATE if the wind speeds pick up and start drifting the snow, on slopes steeper than 35 degrees of E-NE-N-NW aspects. Otherwise the avalanche danger will remain mostly LOW. Remember that MODERATE danger means human triggered avalanches are possible, so always play it safe out there!

This advisory will be updated next Saturday.