Cyberspace Snow and Avalanche Center Update http://www.csac.org Avalanche season is now underway, and we've been busy improving the CSAC web site and our hazard bulletin distribution systems. Most of this update will address avalanche hazard information, but first a few other items of interest. We are having a fundraising drive during the month of December. Being the start of the avalanche year and the end of the tax year it seems like the best time. More info is on the web site. The CSAC online store will be featuring special discounts each day, so check it out often if you are looking for a particular item for less. The Education section now has a "Danger Scale" page where you can find descriptions of the various scales in use around the world. The Incidents section now has the first three reports of US incidents for the year. None have been fatal. Reports from last year are also still being updates - some information gets to us very much after the fact, but it's never too late to add details. There is now a form in the Incidents section which you can use to file a report. Our Organizational page has some new content also. There are a few new graphics for links to us, and information on how to let people subscribe to any of our distribution lists from your own web site. The Current Conditions section is where most of our efforts have been put lately. Avalanche hazard bulletins for most regions are now being issued. We have added two new email distribution lists - one for the Northwest (Washington cascades) and one for the Missoula MT area. We also have a conditions reporting page where everyone can share snowpack observations and questions. The Archives section is currently being updated. All archives should be pretty complete. Here is a run-down of the various areas and their status: California - The Truckee Natl Forest now has their warnings online and we have a pointer to them. No regular bulletins are issued, only warnings. We are considering a listserv, but do not have one implemented at this time. Canada - The bulletins now come out every Mon and Thur and are available on our web site in html and also by email listserv. The CAA now has a web site also - http://www.avalanche.ca/snow/ Colorado - No idea on this one. At the end of last season we began to get the regular bulletins for the first time ever. We hear that the CAIC is now offering the daily bulletins via email listserv for a $25 fee. We have no details on this and do not know if it a plan or if it is now in place. It seems unlikely that the bulletins will appear on the web since that would undermine the fee-based list-serve distribution. But we could be wrong! France - Meteo France / CEN now has some snow measurements and model outputs available online. Avalanche Hazard info is available by phone for a fee. (Which is why it is not likely to get onto the web.) Our Current Conditions page has a phone listing, so check there for the telephone number(s). Italy - Links to numerous bulletins covering most of the alpine regions. A few are not yet on the net at this time. Montana - Southwest Montana (Bozeman, Gallatin NF) has been issueing daily advisories for a while now. These are available on our web site in html and also by listserv. Northwest Montana (Glacier area) has issued one bulletin and one warning. Weekly bulletins will now be issued with updates between them when warranted. These are also available in html on the web or by listserv. West Central Montana (Missoula area) will have weekly bulletins beginning this Friday or next. These will be posted in html and will now be available by listserver. New Hampshire - Have not seen anything from NH yet, and have not had time to track it down. We do not know when they typically begin to issue statements for Tuckermans Ravine and vicinity. We plan to have this info again this year if possible. Northwest - Bulletins are now issued daily for the Wash cascades and for the Mt Hood/ Southern Wash area. Both of these bulletins are posted on the web site in html. The Washington one is now available via listserv. At this time we do not have a second list set up for the Mt Hood / S WA bulletins - they are usually (but not always) the same as the Washington ones. Detailed weather forecasts will be on the website soon. Scotland - The Scottish avalanche service has a new URL, and all our links have been updated. Bulletins begin soon. Switzerland - Bulletins now being issued. These are available on the web via a link to the SLF in Davos and also by listserv, with different lists for German, French, and Italian versions. Utah - Bulletins are now being issued daily, and often twice daily. Both the avalanche and the mountain weather bulletins are posted on the web site in html. The avalanche bulletin is available via listserv. Wyoming - The Jackson Hole area bulletins are now being issued regularly. Their URL has changed, and our link has been updated. We have many plans for new content and improvements as the season progesses. Hopefully we will be able to work on those soon, as get the hazard information systems fully automated. *********************************************************** Cyberspace Snow and Avalanche Center (CSAC) 1034 NW 34th St, Corvallis OR 97330 (541)754-8353 (541)461-4279 Fax http://www.csac.org snow@csac.org Jim Frankenfield; Director ***********************************************************