*** BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE AND MOUNTAIN WEATHER BULLETIN ***

Good  afternoon, this  is Evelyn  Lees with  the Forest  Service Utah
Avalanche  Forecast  Center  with  your  backcountry   avalanche  and
mountain weather bulletin.  This is  Saturday, January 17 and it's  1
pm.   This  information is  brought  to you  in  part by  a  generous
donation  to   the  FUAFC   from  Kirkham's  Outdoor   Products,  the
backcountry specialists  with an  outstanding selection of  x-c skis,
snowshoes and demos.

Bottom Line:
Avalanche warning in effect!
Northern,  central,  and  southwestern  mountains  and  the   Wasatch
Plateau: High avalanche danger at all elevations.

Current conditions:
The rain/snow line has stayed around 7 to 7,500 feet today, and where
it  is  snowing the  densities have  been high.    As of  noon, storm
amounts  are fairly uniform, averaging about  8" of 10 to 15% density
snow.    Winds have been from the northwest, 20 to 30 mph, with gusts
into the 50's.   There's been a  bit of a  lull in the  precipitation
rate, but snow  is expected  to pick up  again this afternoon  around
frontal passage.

Avalanche activity:
Reports  have  trickled  in from  the  resorts  and  the backcountry.
Natural activity has been  reported in upper BCC from  Hidden Canyon,
Pioneer  Ridge,  and  near Mary's  Chutes,  and  natural slides  were
observed on Driveway and in Cinder Chutes on the Park City ridgeline.
Control work above the town  of Alta once again resulted in  a couple
large slides reaching the road, a building and vehicles.  In the Park
City mountains, control results include low elevation wet slabs about
a foot deep, on north  and south facing slopes between 7  and 7,400'.
Heavily  wind loaded areas were repeating from earlier this week with
slides up to 4' deep and 100' wide.

Avalanche conditions:
The  avalanche  warning  remains  in  effect  for  the northern  Utah
mountains,   and  has  been   extended  to  cover   the  central  and
southeastern  mountains and  the Wasatch  Plateau.   The new  snow is
creating   an  "up  side  down"  snow  pack,  with  heavy,  wet  snow
overloading some lighter snow that  was deposited earlier this  week.
We're  also continuing  to  overload  the  deeper faceted  snow  that
developed earlier in the season which has been the weak layer in many
of the very large slides that have occurred this week.
Areas  that did slide earlier this week  have filled back in with new
snow  and are  starting  to reslide,  especially  where wind  loaded.
While  these  new snow  slides may  not be  quite  as large  as those
breaking into the old facets, I think they will be  easier to trigger
by a person and  their distribution is much more wide spread.  At the
lower  elevations, wet slabs and sluffs are occurring on steep slopes
and gully walls.   In addition to avoiding all slopes steeper than 30
degrees,  avoid terrain traps such as gullies and creek drainages and
flat roads with even a short steep slope above.

The avalanche danger is high.   Back country travelers should stay on
low  angle slopes and  avoid avalanche run-out  zones.   Stay way out
from under steep  slopes and out  of narrow gullies.   The  avalanche
danger is equally high at low, mid and upper elevations on all slopes
steeper than 30 degrees.  Human triggered  and spontaneous avalanches
are likely.

Mountain weather:
Frontal passage this afternoon  should bring another period  of heavy
snow and possibly lightening.  The air mass will then dry rapidly, so
snow  should stop at most locations before  midnight.  Warm and sunny
tomorrow, with  8000' highs  near 35.   Light  NW winds.   Increasing
clouds  Sunday night and  strong SW winds  ahead of  the Monday storm
which is much colder.

If you  see anything we should  know about please leave  a message on
our answer machine at 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140.

For more detailed information call 364-1591.

-To find out where the  Wasatch Powderbird Guides will be  skiing and
to get their schedule, call 521-6040 x 5280.
-Comments  on the scoping notice  analyzing the impacts  of issuing a
new  5-year  permit to  WPG  need to  be  received by  the  SL Ranger
District by Jan 30, 1998.

The  information contained in this  bulletin is from  the U.S. Forest
Service   which  is  solely  responsible  for   its  content.    This
information describes general avalanche conditions,  local variations
always occur.

Carol Ciliberti will update this bulletin by 7:30 Sunday morning.

Thanks for calling.
Lees