Introduction: Good Morning! This is Max Forgensi with the USFS Manti-La Sal Avalanche Center with your 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 Saturday, January 8th, 2005 at 7:30 a.m. Current Conditions: The Manti Skyline is under an AVALANCHE WARNING FOR TODAY AND A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN AFFECT UNTIL 6:00 P.M. SUNDAY. Very strong winds and periods of heavy snowfall and increasing temperatures will cause considerable blowing and drifting of snow, increasing the avalanche hazard and compromising road conditions. The Skyline has received close to 24” since the New Year, 6” falling last weekend and an additional 14” of snow falling early this week. Natural avalanche activity has and will continue to happen throughout the weekend. There is plenty of snow on everyone’s favorite designated trails and powder fields, once again this weekend will be a good time to stay away from the steeper terrain until the snow stops falling and wind stops a blowing. The Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL site has 43” of snow on the ground and the temperature at 5:00 a.m. is 17 degrees. Mountain Weather: Winter Storm Warning in effect until 6:00 pm Sunday. Today: VERY WINDY. Snow. Accumulations of 2-5 inches expected. High at 8,000’ in the mid 20’s. Winds will be out of the South at 35-45 mph. Tonight: Very windy. Snow. Accumulations of 3-6 inches expected. Low near 20 at 8,000’. Winds will be out of the Southwest at 30-40 mph. Avalanche Conditions: The Skyline is setting up for another large avalanche cycle, strong winds and heavy snow will be loading the weak snow pack on the slopes. The Skyline is under an Avalanche Warning for today. Strong winds, heavy snow, and increasing temperatures have and will continue to create unstable slopes, at all elevations and on all aspects. I am going to rate the avalanche danger at a blanket CONSIDERABLE with the avalanche danger at HIGH on steep slopes with recent wind drifts. A HIGH avalanche danger means that natural avalanches are likely and human-triggered avalanches are likely as well. Keep your slope angles today below 30 degrees, and travel a safe distance from the run-out zones of avalanche paths. Travel in places that you have some visibility (in trees) or on designated travel routes that stays clear of avalanche terrain. For the next couple of days, let Mother Nature play with the steep terrain.