Up-Coming Events: January 18, 6 pm - Free Avalanche Awareness presentation at the Mt. Shasta Library 1-1.5 hours January 19, 9am - Free Avalanche Transceiver clinic. Meet at the Fifth Season and be prepared to travel on snow. January 26, 6 pm - 6th Annual Snow Ball Fundraising event put on by Friends of the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center and sponsored by Timberworks and Chitwood Energy Management at the Mt. Shasta City Park with Dinner, music, dancing, all types of beverages and tons of raffle and silent auction items. Best party of the year! January 27, Flying Squirrel Classic - Telemark and Rando fun race; costumes optional; backcountry demo gear available. Benefit for Friends of the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center and sponsored by The Fifth Season. Registration 11:30-12:30, race at 1:00 pm. Best fun race of the season! Special Note: As of 9 am on 1/10/08, it looks like both the Everitt and Castle Lake roads will continue to remain closed for an extended time period. We will keep you informed when they open. Avalanche Advisory for Sunday, January 13, 2008 at 6:15 am; next Advisory will be Friday 1/18/08 By Eric White The Details: This Season: We had an early thin snow pack with December bringing near normal precipitation and 3.5 feet of snow along with strong winds above tree line. Our precipitation is around 108% of normal since September 1. A strong storm series in early January deposited 4-8 feet of snow with huge wind drifts. We are in a "La Nina" climate condition which often means wetter than normal winters in our area and expectations are for above normal precipitation into the spring of 2008. Weather Observations: We have fog in town this morning, and it is currently 36F in Mt. Shasta and 37F in Dunsmuir. Mt. Shasta - We are measuring 72 inches of snow on the ground near tree line with a trace of new snow over the last 24 hours. We had a storm total of 84 inches or 7 feet from 1/3-1/10. 1 inch of settlement has occurred over the last 24 hours (with close to 3 ft. of settlement over the last week) and temperatures have ranged between 20F to 37F at 7000 ft. and it is currently 20F. Winds this morning at tree line were estimated at around 15 mph from the NW, and 5 mph from the SE below tree line. On the upper mountain winds are estimated this morning at 20 mph from the NW. Castle/Mt. Eddy - Mt. Eddy received a trace of new snow in the last 24 hours. We estimate around 5.5 ft. of snow on the ground and temperatures at Castle Lake from 18F this morning to a roasting 40-50F this afternoon. Weather Forecast: High pressure has built up over the eastern Pacific and is brining warmer air and NW winds to our area. A storm will move north of our area on Monday night and Tuesday bringing only clouds to the southern part of the State of Jefferson (Redding, CA to Roseburg, OR) and a chance for light precipitation in the northern part. We will see dry and mild conditions this week with cold air moving in next week. Today, fog and low clouds will persist in the morning in valley areas with sunshine at mid and upper elevations all day. Temperatures at mid elevations will warm into the upper 30's to low 40's with some places reaching up to 50F. Winds below tree line will be light and variable. Above tree line, winds will be 10-15 mph from the NW and at upper elevations, winds will be 20-30 mph from the NW. Snow Pack: Warming temperatures continue to create some heavy snow at lower elevations with crusts at mid elevations. Above tree line, some wind slabs still exist and will be most sensitive during the warmest parts of the day. The heat and sunshine is bringing improved stability to the snow pack, but in this process, it creates an upside down snow pack with heavy and wet snow above lighter and drier snow. I noticed this over the past 2 days at lower elevations (4-6000 ft.). So if you find yourself sinking into your boot tops, look for low angle terrain without steeper terrain directly above you. <> Examining the results from a Rutschblock stability test 01/11/08 on Mt. Shasta. Test results from a Rutschblock (1/11/08) at low elevation. This 50 cm slab failed on the first jump during a Rutschblock test (R4) and had a Quality 1-2 shear (clean failure, smooth plane, travelled as a unit 1 foot). 30 degree, N facing slope at 4600 ft. Nick went to the Klamath mountains Friday and found challenging crusts with moderate to good stability (Rutschblock R6, 6900 ft., W aspect, 34 degree slope) up to 7000 ft. Today will be a good day for a tour, but challenging for making turns. Nick Meyers studying the snow in the Trinity Alps, 01/11/08 Nick Meyers studying the snow in the Trinity Alps 1/11/08. West aspect, 6900 ft., 34 degree slope R6 (jump mid-block) 25 cm failure during Rutschblock showing fair stability. Some important thoughts: This advisory does not apply to Ski Areas or Highways and is for the Mt. Shasta, Castle Lake and Mt. Eddy back country. Use this information for guidance only. You may find different conditions in the backcountry and should travel accordingly. This advisory expires at midnight tonight. As always, use safe travel practices: travel with a partner, travel one at a time in suspect areas, go from one island of safety to another, choose safe routes, wear a transceiver, carry a shovel and probe, and know how to use your gear!