avalanche advisory

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 12, 2006

December 12, 2006 - 7:06 am For the Ogden, Salt Lake and Park City mountains, the avalanche danger is MODERATE on steep upper elevation slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. The danger will be on the rise today and tonight if we receive more snow. Out of wind affected terrain the danger is LOW. The Provo mountains have a generally LOW danger but with more snow the danger will be on the rise as well.

Kobernik

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs For today the main concern is the potential for slab formation. With some snow in todays forecast, slightly warmer temperatures and any wind that could occur, it may not take a whole lot to change the light fluffy snow into a slightly denser layer that is prone to cracking. Pay close attention to any cracking under your feet. Continue the use of slope cuts and use test slopes to check for changing conditions.

Most people found the new snow to be mostly stable on Monday. Some sluffing occurred on steeper slopes and a few folks noted some small sensitive slabs in upper elevation wind affected terrain. If you looked close you might have noticed a slight weakness within the new snow. An inch or so of very light density snow fell on Sunday morning with another layer coming Sunday afternoon into Monday. Shovel tilt tests revealed a weakness between these layers. (PHOTO) (Quicktime video, 5.3mb), It wasnt significant enough to produce any avalanching but with a little more snow and wind it may be something to watch for.

Weve now, also, covered up our faceted snow from the last few weeks. The most recent snow load was neither stiff enough nor heavy enough to overload it. We wont forget about it though. With more snow expected over the next few days we have the potential to form a stiff enough slab that may start to crack and collapse. In other words, we are under what you might call a slab watch.

Under cloudy skies with a few snow flurries, westerly winds picked up just slightly from Monday and are blowing in the 5 to 15 mph range gusting into the 20s & 30s at the most exposed locations. Ridgetop temperatures dipped into the low teens overnight but are now back up to around 20.

We should see a shot of snow this morning that may produce a few inches then potential showers throughout the day. Ridgetop temperatures will be in the low 20s and ridgetop winds will be in the 10 to 20 mph range with gusts into the 30s and gusting into the 40s and 50s at the most exposed locations. Another 3 to 6 inches of snow is possible tonight and a few more disturbances through the week with the northern most mountains receiving the most snow.

Listen to the advisory. Try our new streaming audio or podcastsOur new, state wide tollfree hotline is 1-888-999-4019.(For early morning detailed avalanche activity report hit option 8)For a list of avalanche classes, click HERE

For our classic text advisory click HERE.

To sign up for automated e-mails of our graphical advisory click HERE

We appreciate any snowpack and avalanche observations you have, so please leave us a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)

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

Evelyn Lees will update this advisory by 7:30 on Wednesday morning.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 13, 2006

December 13, 2006 - 7:09 am Salt Lake, Park City and Provo mountains: the avalanche danger is MODERATE on upper elevation slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, especially with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. The danger may increase and become more widespread later today and tonight with additional snow and wind. Out of wind affected terrain and on slopes less steep than 35 degrees, the danger is LOW. Ogden area mountains: the avalanche danger is MODERATE on all slopes steeper than 35 degrees, and may increase to CONSIDERABLE during the next 24 hours in areas that receive more snow and wind today. UDOT plans to conduct artillery control work in Little Cottonwood Canyon this morning, beginning at 10 am. Please stay clear of the avalanche paths on the north side of the canyon from Tanners to White Pine until after 10:30 am. For updates, call 801-975-4383.

Evelyn Lees

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs Today, with another few inches of warm, dense snow in the forecast and slightly faster wind speeds, sensitive wind drifts may develop in upper elevation terrain, especially along the ridgelines. Watch for cracking of the snow around your boards, and use slope cuts on test slopes and cornice kicking to test if a slab is developing. If you missed these links yesterday, here are some great demos of the shovel tilt test, which also works well to reveal the weaknesses in the upper pack. (PHOTO) (Quicktime video, 5.3mb). 24 Hrs The creepy part of backcountry travel these days is due to all the layers of sugary, faceted snow deeper in the pack, most widespread outside the deeper snowpack of upper Little and Big Cottonwood Canyons. So far, the small, incremental loads of snow are allowing these facets to adjust to the added weight. But at some point, the facets on an individual slope will become overloaded. There is potential for one of these deeper slides to occur in the Ogden area mountains today if the forecast snow and water amounts verify. New drifts of wind blown snow will also be more widespread, deeper and sensitive in the mountains north of I-80.

Throughout the range, all reports were of stable snow yesterday. With effort, you could trigger a small sluff on a steep slope, but the snow still refused to act as a cohesive slab, despite weakness within the new snow. Skies are mostly cloudy this morning, and temperatures have warmed into the mid 20s at 9,000. 24 hour snow totals south of I-80 are in the 1 to 3 range. Portions of the Ogden and Logan area mountains have received more, with up to .7 of water. The westerly winds have increased this morning into the 10 to 15 mph range, with gusts in the 20s. The highest peaks are averaging 25 to 35 mph, with gusts to 45.

A moist westerly flow will be over northern Utah through Thursday. Another round of light snow fall should begin later this morning, with the mountains south of I-80 receiving 1-3 and the mountains north of I-80 3-6. Winds will remain from a westerly direction, in the 15 to 20 mph range at 10,000, with gusts in the 30s. The highest peaks will have stronger speeds of 25 to 35 mph, and gusts to 60 mph. Temperatures will be in the mid 30s at 8,000 and the upper 20s at 10,000. A colder storm system will move into the Great Basin on Friday.

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center cordially invite you to a private showing of the new Universal Studios film on the Mt. Everest accidents of 1996. The film will be shown at Snowbird by David Breaschears, Friday, December 29th at 6:00 pm. Click HERE for more information.

Listen to the advisory. Try our new streaming audio or podcastsOur new, state wide tollfree hotline is 1-888-999-4019.(For early morning detailed avalanche activity report hit option 8)For a list of avalanche classes, click HERE

For our classic text advisory click HERE.

To sign up for automated e-mails of our graphical advisory click HERE

We appreciate any snowpack and avalanche observations you have, so please leave us a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)

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

Bruce Tremper will update this advisory by 7:30 on Thursday morning.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 14, 2006

December 14, 2006 - 7:25 am An avalanche watch has been issued for the Logan-area mountains including the Wellsville and Bear River Ranges and also the Ben Lomond area. Mountains south of Ogden including SLC, Park City, Provo: the avalanche danger is MODERATE on upper elevation slopes steeper than about 35 degrees with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. The danger of damp to wet sluffs is also MODERATE on steep slopes at elevations below about 8,500 where the snow has become soggy. Out of wind affected terrain and on slopes less steep than 35 degrees, the danger is LOW. Mountains north of Ogden including Ben Lomond and Logan: the avalanche danger is on all slopes steeper than about 35 degrees is CONSIDERABLE today and may rise to HIGH with additional snow and wind today. We have issued an avalanche watch for this area, meaning that you should watch out for rising avalanche danger.

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs In the Salt Lake, Park City and Provo area mountains, although there is a lot of weak, faceted snow buried in our shallow, anemic snowpack, there just isnt enough weight on top to make things sensitive. On the other hand, the mountains north of Ogden are a different story with two to three times the water weight and along with the rising temperatures and wind, you should be able to find plenty of steep slopes where you can trigger an avalanche today. If you would like to know how to test for instabilities within new snow, here are some great demos of the shovel tilt test, which also works well to reveal the weaknesses in the upper pack. (PHOTO) (Quicktime video, 5.3mb),

24 Hrs Watch out for wet sluffs on steep slopes at elevations below about 8,500' None reported The fire hose has been trained on the Logan-area mountains and Ben Lomond Peak for the past couple days and they have received 1.4 inches of water weight in the past day and over 2 inches of water in the past two days. In areas south of there, we have only added a measly .3 inches of water weight in the past day and .7 or less from the storm so far. Yesterday was a rather miserable day in the mountains with poor visibility, rain and wet, mashed potatoes snow below about 8,500 along and dense, wind-blown snow at higher elevations. To make matters worse, temperatures have continued to rise overnight with the rain-snow line expected to be around 8,500 today and the winds have picked up to 30, gusting to 60 on the highest ridges.

We will have Oregon-like weather today with cloudy skies and light rain below about 8,500 with a couple inches of dense snow at higher elevations. Ridge top winds will pick up and blow around 30 mph from the west with 40, gusting to 60 on the highest peaks. Temperatures will reach their maximum on Friday morning, when the freezing level will rise above 9,000 with 40 mph winds from the southwest. Then, the temperatures will start to fall with a strong, but quick-hitting cold front coming through on about Saturday morning. We may get 8 inches of snow from the cold front and temperatures by Saturday afternoon will plunge to the single digits. After that, we have a complex, closed low over our area for a couple days, which are notoriously hard to forecast, but right now we dont see any significant precipitation after Saturdays cold front.

I will teach an avalanche awareness class at the South Valley Unitarian Church this evening at 7:00 pm.

Listen to the advisory. Try our new streaming audio or podcastsOur new, state wide tollfree hotline is 1-888-999-4019.(For early morning detailed avalanche activity report hit option 8)For a list of avalanche classes, click HERE

For our classic text advisory click HERE.

To sign up for automated e-mails of our graphical advisory click HERE

We appreciate any snowpack and avalanche observations you have, so please leave us a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)

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

Brett Kobernik will update this advisory by 7:30 on Friday morning.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 15, 2006

December 15, 2006 - 7:18 am For the Ogden area mountains the avalanche danger is MODERATE on slopes steeper then around 35 degrees especially in upper elevations that have recent deposits of wind drifted snow. Avalanches may break into older weak snow that would produce a sizeable slide.

For the Salt Lake, Park City and Provo area mountains the avalanche danger is MODERATE for upper elevation north through east facing slopes steeper then 35 degrees with recent deposits of wind drifted snow as well as steeper lower elevation slopes where the snowpack is damp. Mid elevation slopes less steep then 35 degrees have a generally LOW danger.

Kobernik

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs For today we have a few things to keep in mind. First are the continued warm temperatures. Many lower elevation slopes have a very damp, unconsolidated snowpack where we may see activity in the form of loose snow avalanching and the possibility of a slab avalanche as well. Stay out of gully bottoms and other terrain traps if you are traveling in areas that have damp snow.

24 Hrs We also need to pay attention to areas where the recent slab may break into faceted layers that formed in early December as well as in November. This is most common in the northern mountains from around Ogden north but be aware of any slope that has a recent layer of thick snow that is over weak sugary snow. Watch for collapsing which would indicate this set up exists. This is less prevalent in the Cottonwoods but you may find a few areas along the ridges where you may get a fresh drift to crack out.

As far as the snowpack is concerned we can divide things up by region fairly easy. The Provo mountains, Park City mountains, Mill Creek Canyon and Bountiful mountains have a thin weak snowpack but havent received enough snow to increase the danger much. The upper Cottonwoods have a deeper snowpack that does contain some weak snow but didnt receive enough snow to produce significant avalanches except a few stubborn wind slabs at the higher elevations. The Ogden area mountains had a thin weak snowpack and have received enough of a load to produce a dense slab that has overloaded the weak snow resulting in some natural avalanches. The majority of these were in the upper elevations where winds helped to build a thicker slab but at least one was around 7500 in a wind sheltered area. (Click HERE for some observations) These avalanches ranged from 1-3 feet deep, 50 to 75 feet wide with the biggest one running around 400 feet vertical distance. These were on north through east facing aspects. The warm temperatures are currently adding to the avalanche danger but after things cool off the snow should lock up and take care of many of our problems with the deeper faceted snow.

Under cloudy skies 9000 foot temperatures at many locations are above freezing with ridgetop southwesterly winds in the 10 to 20mph range gusting into the 20s and 30s with the most exposed locations having gusts into the 40s and 50s. Precipitation over the last 24 hours included snow flurries at the higher elevations with the rain level between 8000 and 9000 feet. Very little precipitation fell from the Provo mountains north through Farmington Canyon but the Ogden area mountains did receive close to a half inch of water weight in the last 24 hours.

Today well see mostly cloudy skies. Ridgetop temperatures should start to cool off around noon and ridgetop winds will blow in the 10 to 20mph range gusting to around 30 and into the 50s at the most exposed locations. A few snow flurries are possible this afternoon then snow should start tonight. Weather models are still having trouble pinning down a good solution to this storm but confidence is fairly high that well receive an inch of water that would translate into around a foot of snow by Saturday. Mostly cloudy skies with snow showers and cooler temperatures will remain through Sunday.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides ski season starts today but they will not fly due to weather and snow conditions.

Listen to the advisory. Try our new streaming audio or podcastsOur new, state wide tollfree hotline is 1-888-999-4019.(For early morning detailed avalanche activity report hit option 8)For a list of avalanche classes, click HERE

For our classic text advisory click HERE.

To sign up for automated e-mails of our graphical advisory click HERE

We appreciate any snowpack and avalanche observations you have, so please leave us a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@avalanche.org. (Fax 801-524-6301)

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

Evelyn Lees will update this advisory by 7:30 on Saturday morning.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 16, 2006

December 16, 2006 - 7:03 am The avalanche danger is MODERATE on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, especially along upper elevation ridgelines. Human triggered avalanches are possible, and particularly avoid any slope with drifts of wind blown snow. Below about 8,500, the avalanche danger is generally LOW. With more snow and wind in the forecast, it will be a weekend of rising avalanche danger.

Evelyn Lees

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs Today, I expect new snow avalanches in the form of loose snow sluffs and a few very soft slabs. Because temperatures cooled before the snow arrived, the new snow landed on hard, frozen crusts on most aspects and elevations. Any sluff or soft slab you trigger may run faster and farther than expected on slopes with slick crusts beneath. Also, yesterdays stronger winds did form a few drifts along the upper ridgelines that are now hidden, but could break out wider than expected and surprise you. Heavier snowfall and slightly stronger winds are forecast for late this afternoon and tonight. If you are anywhere the winds start to drift the snow or the snowfall rates increase to more than an inch/hour, the avalanche danger will increase, and its time to become more conservative, particularly avoiding any fresh drifts of wind blown snow.

24 Hrs Looking into the future, we are still very concerned about the snowpack above about 9,000 with its various layers of weak sugary facets, especially in shallow snowpack areas. As you travel today, continue to do lots of pole handle plants to gauge the depth and weakness of the pack. Quick hand pits are an excellent way to check for the bonding both above and below the crusts. The crusts are thinnest at the higher elevations, with a variety of facets beneath, so these slopes will have the first potential for slides to break into old snow. The facets at the low to mid elevations below about 8,500' should freeze up solidly.

On Thursday and Friday, avalanche activity was focused in the Ogden and Logan area mountains, which received the most snow and had a preexisting shallow weak snowpack. Activity continued in the Logan area mountains yesterday, with numerous reports of collapsing and one slide breaking 2 feet deep by 90 wide. No avalanche activity was reported in any other areas yesterday.

Thankfully, a nice shot of snow is starting to cover up some of the worst riding conditions of the year. As of 6 am, snow totals are 5 to 8 south of I-80, and 2 to 6 to the north. Its light, fluffy powder, averaging less than 6% density. The northwesterly winds dropped off before it started snowing, and are less than 10 mph along most ridges, with 15 mph averages across the highest peaks. Temperatures also plummeted last night, and are in the teens and single digits. Turning and riding conditions will be dust on crust, with lower angle slopes and slopes with a smooth old snow surface offering the most consistent turns.

A cold Pacific storm system will produce snow, heavy at time, through Sunday, with the heaviest snowfall anticipated Saturday night. Today, expect periods of snow, with an additional 6 to 9 possible south of I-80, and 3 to 6 to the north. Winds should remain light today and tonight, generally less than 20 mph, from the northwest and north. Temperatures will be near 10 at 10,000 and in the low 20s at 8,000. Snow will continue tonight and Sunday, with 5 to 12 possible, again with the heaviest amounts south of I-80. Temperatures will be in the single digits and low teens tonight.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides ski season has started, but they will not fly today due to weather and snow conditions.

Listen to the advisory. Try our new streaming audio or podcastsOur new, state wide tollfree hotline is 1-888-999-4019.(For early morning detailed avalanche activity report hit option 8)For a list of avalanche classes, click HERE

For our classic text advisory click HERE.

To sign up for automated e-mails of our graphical advisory click HERE

We appreciate any snowpack and avalanche observations you have, so please leave us a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)

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

Drew Hardesty will update this advisory by 7:30 on Sunday morning.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 19, 2006

December 19, 2006 - 6:58 am Bottom Line for the Salt Lake, Park City, Ogden and Provo area mountains: The avalanche danger is MODERATE on shady northwest through easterly facing slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, above about 9,000, and any steep slope with recent drifts of wind blown snow. Slopes less steep than about 35 degrees and at the lower elevations have a LOW avalanche danger.

Evelyn Lees

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs Sensitive wind drifts along ridgelines may be more wide spread today due to the stronger overnight winds, especially on northwesterly facing slopes.

24 Hrs Today, there are probably just a few places where a person could trigger a deeper slide in a shallow snowpack area, on a very steep, shady upper elevation slope, but if you do they will be deep. With extra help from explosives, control work in upper and mid Little Cottonwood Canyon produced several slides breaking to the ground on facets, 3 to 4 deep, and up to 150 wide. These were all on steep, shady slopes, above about 10,000. In very wind affected terrain yesterday, a few people were able to trigger wind drifts with easy ski cuts 1-2 deep and up to 75 wide. Good visibility also allowed observation of avalanche activity that occurred during the storm south of I-80. Most of the natural avalanches seemed to fail within the storm snow, as sluffs and soft slabs. Exceptions include at least one Provo slide that failed on near surface facets that formed during the December dry spell.

Skies are clear this morning, and temperatures warmed over the last few hours into the teens at most elevations, with single digits only left in the valley bottoms where the cold air is pooled. The southeasterly winds picked up overnight, averaging 25 to 30 mph across some of the higher ridges. Most mid elevation stations are in the 10 to 20 mph range. The weekend storm heavily favored the mountains south of I-80, and riding conditions are excellent in one to two feet of powder, with just a slight zipper crust on sunny slopes. The Ogden mountains picked up about 6, and have dust on crust low, with good conditions at the higher elevations.

Skies will be partly cloudy today, with a few snow flurries possibly reaching the southern end of the Wasatch mountains from the upper low tracking across northern Arizona. Temperatures today will be in the low twenties at 8,000 and in the upper teens at 10,000. Winds will be from the southeast, in the 10 to 20 mph range, slightly stronger across the highest peaks. High pressure will be over the area Wednesday and Thursday, with the next Pacific storm system affecting the area Thursday night through Friday.

The Wasatch Powderbird Guides will be in Cardiff, Days, Silver, Grizzly and American Fork and Snake Creek.

Listen to the advisory. Try our new streaming audio or podcastsOur new, state wide tollfree hotline is 1-888-999-4019.(For early morning detailed avalanche activity report hit option 8)For a list of avalanche classes, click HERE

For our classic text advisory click HERE.

To sign up for automated e-mails of our graphical advisory click HERE

We appreciate any snowpack and avalanche observations you have, so please leave us a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)

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

I will update this advisory by 7:30 on Wednesday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 20, 2006

December 20, 2006 - 5:31 am The avalanche danger is generally LOW today. There are pockets of MODERATE danger on slopes steeper than 35 degrees with drifts of wind blown snow, and the danger may rise to MODERATE on steep, sunny slopes with daytime heating.

Evelyn Lees

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs With the overnight shift in wind direction, the northerly winds will find additional snow to move, and a fresh batch of wind drifts will develop along the higher ridgelines. These drifts may be sensitive on steep slopes. Sluffs may also occur on very steep, shady slopes in the recrystalized, surface snow. And finally, be observant and keep track of the weak mid pack and basal layers in the snowpack. While the chances a person could trigger a deeper slide are minimal, knowing where the snowpack is shallow and weak will be important information in the future. 9 Hrs Todays much warmer temperatures and mostly clear skies will heat the surface snow, and damp sluffs may get moving on steep, sunny slopes, especially with a push from your board. No avalanche activity was reported yesterday, and the snowpack is mostly stable. Under clear skies, temperatures have dropped into the toe numbing single digits at most locations. Winds shifted to the north, and are in the 15 to 20 mph range across the highest peaks, but are less than 10 mph elsewhere. Riding conditions are variable, with wind damage and sun crusts on many open slopes, and good powder in the more sheltered areas.

High pressure is building in over the area for today and Thursday. Skies will be clear this morning, with some mid elevations clouds developing this afternoon. Winds will remain from the north, in the 10 to 15 mph range, with slightly stronger speeds across the highest terrain. Temperatures will warm into the low thirties at 8,000 and in the mid 20s at 10,000. The next splitting Pacific storm system will reach northern Utah Friday, with modest snow amounts of less than 6 expected.

The Wasatch Powderbird Guides will most likely be in northern powder circuit today, including Cardiff, Days, Silver, Grizzly and American Fork and Snake Creek.

Listen to the advisory. Try our new streaming audio or podcastsOur new, state wide tollfree hotline is 1-888-999-4019.(For early morning detailed avalanche activity report hit option 8)For a list of avalanche classes, click HERE

For our classic text advisory click HERE.

To sign up for automated e-mails of our graphical advisory click HERE

We appreciate any snowpack and avalanche observations you have, so please leave us a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@avalanche.org. (Fax 801-524-6301)

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

Brett kobernik will update this advisory by 7:30 on Thursday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 21, 2006

December 21, 2006 - 7:05 am The avalanche danger is generally LOW today. Keep in mind that LOW danger doesnt mean no danger AND there are pockets with a MODERATE danger on slopes steeper than 35 degrees with drifts of wind blown snow.

Kobernik

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs For today you will want to pay attention to any area along the upper elevation ridgelines that has wind affected snow. With recent winds from many directions, you can find pillows on a variety of aspects. Slope cuts should be used prior to diving in to steeper slopes. Watch for cracking while traveling which indicates you are in wind affected terrain. I received reports of a few wind slabs that released with slope cuts on Wednesday with one taking a skier for a short ride. The skier unintentionally released a 45 foot wide slab that was 10 to 24 inches deep on a 35 degree east facing slope at around 10,000 feet in elevation in Snake Creek. He grabbed a tree and avoided a serious accident. This was a collapse failure of faceted snow below last weeks rime crust. Other locations where wind slabs were released were small isolated pockets near Gobblers Knob and a few in the Ogden area mountains that were up to a foot deep.

This close call highlights two things. The first is faceted snow beneath the crust which may become more of a problem once we receive more snow. (Click for a snowpit) This crust and faceted snow layering is most pronounced from around 8500 feet to 10,500 feet. Careful examination of the snowpack in this range should be done for future reference. (Click for more snowpits)

The next thing this accident highlights is recent wind loading. Under mostly clear skies, temperatures are a bit warmer then yesterday morning currently around 20 degrees along the ridges. Northerly winds on Wednesday did transport some snow but speeds remained fairly low and are now in the 5-10 mph range from the northwest gusting into the 20s at the most exposed locations.

For today we should see some increasing high clouds with ridgetop temperatures in the low to mid 20s and light northerly ridgetop winds switching to a more westerly direction this afternoon. A weak storm should affect the mountains during Friday with a chance of 3 to 6 inches of new snow. Another quick hitter will move through on Sunday with a few more chances for snow through next week.

The Wasatch Powderbird Guides will most be in northern powder circuit today, including Mineral, Cardiff, Days, and Silver Fork with flights also in Millcreek, American Fork as well as the Cascade Ridge area in Provo.

Listen to the advisory. Try our new streaming audio or podcastsOur new, state wide tollfree hotline is 1-888-999-4019.(For early morning detailed avalanche activity report hit option 8)For a list of avalanche classes, click HERE

For our classic text advisory click HERE.

To sign up for automated e-mails of our graphical advisory click HERE

We appreciate any snowpack and avalanche observations you have, so please leave us a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)

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

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 22, 2006

December 22, 2006 - 6:44 am The avalanche danger is generally LOW today but will likely rise to MODERATE in areas with recent deposits of wind drifted snow.

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs I dont think we are going to get enough new snow to change the avalanche conditions very much. But still, the main concern for the day is the new snow and any wind drifting of the new snow. Watch out for the winds to kick up as the trough passes at mid day and also watch for increasing northerly winds on Saturday. If any wind drifting occurs, they will be deposited on top of some very weak snow on the surface right now. This means that any wind slabs created today will be especially sensitive. These avalanches may easily step down to deeper weak layers.

No avalanches reported from yesterday. Light snow is falling in the mountains and we are expecting 3-6 inches of snow today, just to freshen things up. Temperatures this morning are fairly warm, in the mid 20s. Ridge top winds are southwest and not particularly strong, around 15 mph and 20 mph on the highest peaks. There is a wide variety of old snow surfaces with old, wind slabs above tree line, sun crusts on all the sun exposed slopes and still some nice, soft, recrystallized snow on the slopes that face the north half of the compass down out of the wind zones. In shallow snowpack areas, there is weak, sugary snow all the way to the ground. As usual, our hard-working and creative, Brett Kobernik came through again. He put together a wonderful synopsis of the seasons weather and avalanche conditions up to this point. Check it out.

Unfortunately, the system today is rather weak and splitting, so Im not expecting much snow, probably 3-6 inches. This system is not a cold front, but just a passing trough, so temperatures will not drop very much as it passes but the ridge top winds will shift from the southwest to the northwest by tonight and to the north on Saturday. The winds are supposed to remain fairly reasonable at not much more than 20 mph. Ridge top temperature will remain around 20 degrees.For the extended forecast, we have a stronger, colder and windier storm on Sunday, just in time to freshen things up for your new toys on Christmas day. Then it looks like another shot of snow on about Tuesday.

Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew in Mineral, Cardiff and Cascade. Today, they will most likely not fly today due to weather. If they can get out, they will be in Mineral, Cardiff, Days, Silver, Grizzly, white Pine, American Fork and Cascade. Also, they will NOT fly in the Tri Canyons tomorrow on Saturday.uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Brett Kobernik will update this advisory by 7:30 on Saturday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 23, 2006

December 23, 2006 - 6:36 am The avalanche danger is generally LOW today but there are pockets with a MODERATE danger near upper elevation ridges. Watch for drifts and slabs in thin snowpack areas with weaker snow underneath.

Kobernik

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs There were a few avalanches during the mid week which demonstrate that you may still find some pockets out there especially near the upper ridges. (Natural avalanche, Red Baldy in the White Pine drainage. PHOTO 1, PHOTO 2) Wind drifts on top of sugary (faceted) snow would be the likely set up.

Fridays soupy weather produced a small amount of snow that would sluff along with some of the faceted surface snow from the last week. Aside from that things are fairly quiet. A thin rime crust reportedly formed during the day in the Ogden mountains on top of the few inches of new snow. Its a good time to take a look at the big picture of the snowpack up to this point. Click HERE for a snow and weather review from mid October to December 20th.

Ridgetop temperatures cooled right off and are in the single digits at many locations while northerly winds are light. Only 1 to 2 inches of snow fell in the last 24 hours.

Today well see partly cloudy skies with light northerly winds and ridgetop temperatures in the mid 20s. A fast moving storm will affect the northern Utah mountains on Sunday with a chance of snow. Areas north of I-80 have a better chance for snow. Water numbers are not impressive however, and Id only expect 2 to 5 inches of snow in the mountains. An unsettled pattern should remain through the week.

Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides did not fly and today they will be in American Fork and Cascade. uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Drew Hardesty will update this advisory by 7:30 on Sunday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 26, 2006

December 26, 2006 - 7:12 am While many areas have a generally LOW danger, ridgeline areas with recent wind loaded snow as well as thin snowpack areas have a pockety MODERATE danger. Slope angles need to be fairly steep to get an avalanche to run and must be at least 35 degrees in steepness.

Kobernik

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 24 Hrs However, lingering wind slabs that formed over the last few days are also a concern for today. (Photos from avalanches on Scott Hill) (December Weather Chart) Ski resorts in the Park City area were still getting these to release with explosives on the 25th. The moderate winds in the forecast for today may form some fresh drifts as well. 24 Hrs Areas that have a thin snowpack are the likely places for a pocket to pull out. This was the case with an avalanche that ran on the 24th which may have been remotely triggered from some skiers in the Home Run near The Canyons ski resort (PHOTO1, PHOTO2). Faceted snow most likely from early December was the weak layer. It should be noted that this area was not influenced from the recent wind events a whole lot. No avalanche activity was reported from Christmas day, however, a few people did note some collapsing under foot with one person reporting a crack opening up. This is an indicator of a few booby traps that are lingering. Under cloudy skies, ridgetop temperatures remain fairly warm and are in the mid to upper 20s. Ridgetop winds are blowing in the 10 to 20mph range gusting into the 30s and 40s at the more exposed locations.

Today well see cloudy skies with mild temperatures and moderate winds picking up slightly throughout the day. Ridgetop temperatures will be in the upper 20s and ridgetop winds will be from a westerly direction in the 10 to 20 mph range gusting into the 30s and 40s at the more exposed locations. We should get a small shot of snow tonight into Wednesday then a slightly better chance Wednesday night into Thursday.

Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides did not fly and most likely wont today but will try for the northern powder circuit plus American Fork and White Pine.

The Rescue Training Center at the Canyons Resort is up and running now at the top of the gondola.

uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Bruce Tremper will update this advisory by 7:30 on Wednesday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 27, 2006

December 27, 2006 - 7:13 am Bottom Line for the Salt Lake, Park City, Provo area mountains:

If we get less than about 6 inches of new snow today, the danger will be MODERATE on any slope steeper than about 35 degrees with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. The danger will be LOW elsewhere. If we get more than 6 inches of new snow, you can bump those danger ratings up one notch.Ogden area mountains:

Im expecting more snow today north of Salt Lake City and this will cause the avalanche danger to rise to CONSIDERABLE in the Ogden and Logan area mountains on steep slopes with recent wind drifts and in shallow snowpack areas Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia 8 Hrs Yesterdays temperatures were very warm with daytime highs in the mid 40s. This really helped to settle the very weak faceted snow that was on the surface and most of the old snow was damp below about 9,000. Above about 9,000 the old snow surface was mostly hard, old, wind slabs. So what Im trying to say is that the new snow falling today will likely bond fairly well to the old snow surfaces with the exception of fresh wind drifts. Today, your main concern will be the new snow as fresh wind slabs accumulate on downwind terrain. These will occur mostly on south through east facing slopes above about 9,000 and near exposed ridge tops but this morning the winds are drifting snow as low as 8,000. Im expecting about 3-6 inches of snow to accumulate this morning before we get a break this afternoon and the winds will likely drift the new snow into 6 inch to a foot deep wind slabs, especially along the exposed ridges. 24 Hrs The second problem you may find today is in the shallow snowpacksay less than about 2 ½ feet deepwhere the entire snowpack is a mess of rotten, faceted snow. If we get more than about an inch of water weight, it may overload this weak snow and produce some deeper, more dangerous avalanches. I dont think we will get more than an inch of water weight out of this storm, but if I am wrong, you can expect deeper, more dangerous avalanches in places where the snowpack is only a couple feet deep. The Ogden area mountains will likely get more snow today than the Salt Lake and Provo area mountains, so the danger may be higher there. (Click here for December Weather Chart) I did not hear about any avalanches yesterday except for in the Logan area mountains where our forecaster intentionally dropped a cornice and triggered a wind slab 2 feet deep and 150 feet wide. An inch of snow has fallen at Alta with 3 inches at Brighton on a strong southwest flow. The Ogden area mountains have accumulated 4 inches of dense snow with a half inch of water weight. Temperatures are warm again this morning, around freezing at 8,000 and the ridge top winds are blowing 20 gusting to 40 from the southwest and on the highest peaks they are blowing 30, gusting to 55 with temperatures in the mid to lower 20s. Even though temperatures started out warm, the new snow is 7-8 percent water weight.The pre-existing snow surfaces were a wide variety with sun crusts on south facing slopes, hard wind slabs above tree line and soft, moist, recrystallized snow on the wind and sun sheltered north facing slopes.

This is a problematic storm and it doesnt look like the big dump we were hoping for. Today, we will have fairly dense snow on a southwest flow and it should accumulate about 3-6 inches this morning. Then, most of the energy from the storm is diving south of us and we will have a bit of a break this afternoon and then the trough will arrive this evening and the ridge top winds will drop to near zero and suddenly turn northerly. We may get another 3-6 inches of lighter density snow overnight. Then, on Thursday, the ridge top winds will be from the northeast and pick up to 35 mph. This may quickly ruin what little snow we can squeeze out of this storm. Today, temperatures will fall from near freezing this morning to the teens tonight and bottom out around 15 degrees on Thursday morning. It looks like snow will end around Thursday by noon.The extended forecast calls for clear weather through the weekend with another chance for snow on about Tuesday and again on Friday.

The Wasatch Powderbird Guides will not fly today because of weather.The Rescue Training Center at the Canyons Resort is up and running now at the top of the gondola.uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.I will update this advisory by 7:30 on Thursday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 28, 2006

December 28, 2006 - 7:20 am The danger is MODERATE on any slope steeper than about 35 degrees with recent deposits of wind drifted snow less than a foot deep soft slabs. The danger is CONSIDERABLE on slopes with wind drifts more than a foot deep and hard slabs. You will find pockets of these wind slabs along many of the upper elevation, wind exposed slopes. The danger will be LOW in non-wind drifted slopes with less than 4 inches of new snow. Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia My suspicions about this storm yesterday proved well-justified. It was yet another storm of huff-and-puff-but-not-much-fluff. A mighty 2-5 inches of pasty snow fell yesterday but hey, at least the winds were blowing hard enough to tip over a tractor. Yesterday’s ridge top winds blew from the southwest, 35 gusting into the upper 50’s for much of the day. The places that get hit hard from the southwest winds had a lot of damage, such as the Park City ridgelines. As the energy of the storm dove south in late afternoon, the ridgetop winds dropped to zero, so we couldn’t squeeze more than about an inch out of the northwest flow last night. This morning, the ridge top winds are light from the north with ridge top temperatures in the mid teens.

Yesterday not a lot of people were out in the backcountry, but the hard working and cagy Bob Athey and Mark White were able to intentionally trigger a hard slab on a wind-loaded side in Days Fork at 9,500’. It broke 1-2 feet deep on faceted snow beneath a buried rime crust and stepped down into deeper faceted snow. They were able to trigger it from the flats near the slide. Photo 1 Photo 2, Photo 3 Also, all the ski resorts reported widespread areas of sensitive, soft slabs on all the wind drifted slopes, but for the most part, they were shallow and manageable. The exception was an explosive-triggered slide in Daily Chutes near Park City which broke up to 6 feet deep to the ground. I think wind loading was invented in the Daily Bowl area and that kind of place really gets hammered by these south and southwest winds. 24 Hrs The main problem today will be wind slabs created by yesterday's and today's wind. You should also be very cautious of the Park City ridgeline and Snake Creek where significant wind loading occurred yesterday. The wind slabs will range from soft to hard and they will look smooth and rounded. They often feel “slabby” and sound hollow. An inch of new snow overnight may conceal them a bit but definitely do a lot of probing and investigating as you travel today. If you find one on a steep slope, you should definitely avoid it. Today the ridge top winds will shift from the north to the northeast and they may pick up and blow as strong as 30 mph with higher gusts, which will give us a whole new set of wind slabs. We will get a few more light snow showers this morning but probably won’t add up to more than an inch. We should have clouds hanging around the mountains for most of the day. Ridge top temperatures will be in the mid teens. Skies should clear by tonight and we will have warmer temperatures and clear skies for the weekend.The extended forecast calls for clear weather through the weekend with a few high clouds on Tuesday and another chance for some snow about a week from today.

If they can get out, The Wasatch Powderbird Guides will fly today in Silver, Cardiff, Days and American Fork.The Rescue Training Center at the Canyons Resort is up and running now at the top of the gondola.uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Brett Kobernik will update this advisory by 7:30 on Friday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 29, 2006

December 29, 2006 - 7:13 am There is a pockety MODERATE avalanche danger on slopes that face west, north and east above about 9000 with a slope angle of 35 degrees or steeper and especially in areas where the wind has deposited more snow over the past few days. Watch mid elevation breakovers as well as the usual ridgeline wind loading. Most areas have a LOW danger but its a bit like walking through a scattered mine field where you might step on one when you least expect it.

Kobernik

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia Under mostly cloudy skies in the mountains, overnight ridgetop temperatures were in the mid to upper teens with northeast winds in the 5 to 15 mph range with gusts into the 50s at the most exposed locations. At the higher locations wind speeds appear to be slowing a bit this morning.

There were no reports of any significant avalanche activity from the backcountry on Thursday. (Click for a couple of snowpits from the 28th)

24 Hrs The main concern for today is going to be areas that have a stiff slab over our persistent facet and crust layering from the December 12th rain/rime event. This layering has produced spotty avalanching in the Cottonwoods and along the Park City Ridgeline since the 20th in the 9000 to 10,000 foot range. This is a difficult situation to pin down exact locations where this condition exists because the crust and facet layering varies greatly from place to place and the slab thickness and stiffness varies greatly as well. (PHOTO of a hard slab from a shear test) This rime crust and facet layering is much less pronounced in the Ogden mountains.

Ridgetop temperatures will be in the upper teens to low 20s with northeast winds in the 5 to 15 mph range increasing slightly through the day. The low pressure centered over New Mexico will push a little moisture into Utah from the east mostly in the form of clouds but a few flurries are possible. Clouds may dissipate somewhat in the afternoon. The extended forecast calls for clear weather through the weekend then another weak splitting storm for Tuesday which wont produce much more then clouds.

If they can get out, The Wasatch Powderbird Guides will fly today in Silver, Days, Cardiff, Mineral, Grizzly, White Pine, American Fork and the Cascade Ridge.The Rescue Training Center at the Canyons Resort is up and running now at the top of the gondola.uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Evelyn Lees will update this advisory by 7:30 on Saturday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Dec 30, 2006

December 30, 2006 - 7:08 am The avalanche danger is MODERATE on any slope steeper than about 35 degrees with recent deposits of wind drifted snow. Be especially cautious on slopes facing west through north through east, where slides could break deeper on a faceted weak layer. However, these areas are isolated, and most backcountry terrain has a LOW danger.

Evelyn Lees

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia Up in the mountains, skies are mostly clear this morning, and temperatures have warmed overnight into the low to mid twenties at many locations. The winds have shifted to a more northerly direction and decreased to less than 15 mph, except for pesky speeds of up to 20 mph, with gusts to 30 across the highest terrain. Snow surface conditions include variable wind sculpted, wind drifted, wind blasted, and breakable crusts in open bowls and along the ridgelines. But the good news is that quality turns do exist in shallow powder on your favorite wind sheltered, mid elevation, shady slope.

Yesterday, people had varying experiences with the widespread, poorly bonded wind drifts (slabs) - some were stubborn or just plain non reactive, while others cracked out up to a couple meters wide. But even those that cracked were very shallow generally less than 6 deep. There was also evidence of a small natural cycle of these wind slabs from sometime Thursday. 24 Hrs Today, continue to avoid steep, wind drifted slopes as it may still be possible to trigger one of these hard wind drifts. Watch for drifts at both mid elevation breakovers as well as along the ridgelines. Though they are generally very shallow, triggering one of these hard drifts could knock you off your feet and send you for a ride over a cliff or into trees on steep slopes. 24 Hrs Also keep in mind that on most aspects there are several buried layers of weak facets. Yesterday, one Ogden area resort had an explosive triggered slide in a tight, east facing chute that was 3' deep x 100' wide, stepping down to the ground on facets. Also half a dozen slides have been triggered in the backcountry on the uppermost facet layer over the past 10 days (click for avalanche list). To trigger one of these faceted layers (Click for a snowpit from the 29th), youd need the infrequent combination of wind loading adding significant weight and a denser, stiff slab to a slope where the faceted weak layer exists.

A high pressure ridge building in across the Great Basin will bring a warming trend today. Skies will be partly cloudy, and temperatures will reach into the upper 30s at 8,000 and near freezing at 10,000. Winds will be from a northerly direction, generally less than 15 mph, with speeds in the 15 to 25 mph range across the highest peaks. The next chance for snow looks to be almost a week away.

Yesterday, Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew in Cardiff and American Fork, and today will fly in Silver, Days, Cardiff, Mineral, Grizzly, White Pine, American Fork, Cascade and the Sessions.The Rescue Training Center at the Canyons Resort is up and running now at the top of the gondola.uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Drew Hardesty will update this advisory by 7:30 on Sunday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Jan 2, 2007

January 2, 2007 - 6:45 am Most terrain across the Wasatch has a LOW danger today. Very isolated pockets of MODERATE danger remain at mid and upper elevation west through north through east facing aspects with wind affected snow.

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia The weather produced pleasant conditions in the mountains over the last few days with mild temperatures and light winds. Currently under partly cloudy skies, ridgetop temperatures are around 20 degrees and north northeast winds are generally less then 10 mph.

Theres nothing significant to report from the backcountry on Monday. Faceting continues to weaken the snow surface and is breaking down a few of the thinner wind crusts. People are still getting decent shears around the buried rime crust which we will want to pay attention to for a while still. This stuff presents no problem right now but has the potential as a weakness with a larger load of snow.

24 Hrs For today you will want to watch for lingering pockets that may release under the weight of a person. These will mainly be above about 8500 to 9000 feet on west through north through east facing slopes. Watch any slope that has stiff wind affected snow in these areas. Continue to practice safe route finding techniques such as putting only one person on a slope at a time and clearing the avalanche run out zones. If you dont follow these procedures during periods of LOW danger, you may have the tendency to cut corners just from habit when the danger is higher.

Some moisture is spilling over the high pressure ridge which will produce partly cloudy skies with increasing clouds today. Ridgetop temperatures will be mild and in the upper 20s to mid 30s. Ridgetop winds will be from the northwest in the 5 to 15 mph range. Partly cloudy conditions will persist Wednesday and Thursday with mild temperatures. Winds will increase somewhat the next few days then well have a chance for snow Thursday afternoon into Friday with much colder temperatures. Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew in American Fork and Cascade. Today theyll be in Mineral, Cardiff, Days, Silver, Grizzly, Mill Creek, American Fork & White Pine and possibly Cascade.

uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Evelyn Lees will update this advisory by 7:30 on Wednesday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Jan 3, 2007

January 3, 2007 - 6:43 am The snowpack is mostly stable, and the avalanche danger is generally LOW. There are isolated pockets of MODERATE danger on steep slopes with new or old wind drifts. The new drifts will be most widespread on slopes facing the east half of the compass.

Evelyn Lees Links: uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Bruce Tremper will update this advisory by 7:30 on Thursday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Jan 4, 2007

January 4, 2007 - 7:07 am Today the avalanche danger is quickly rising from LOW danger to MODERATE danger especially on steep slopes with recent wind deposits. If we get more than about 8 inches of dense snow today, the danger may rise to CONSIDERABLE. In the Logan area mountains, the danger will rise today from MODERATE this morning to CONSIDERABLE by afternoon.

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia It’s unanimous. Everyone agrees that we are in desperate need of more snow. Our snowpack is rotten as a crooked politician. It’s just a mess of faceted snow and in all but the deepest snowpack areas in northern Utah you just sink to the ground unless you are on a wide vehicle like a snowboard. Most snowpacks are 50-70 percent of normal but some stations, especially in the Uinta Mountains are close to normal. (Snotel % of average map) But we are in luck because there is a storm on the way today, or at least what passes for a storm on a dry year like this. This morning it’s blowing hard. The winds on the highest peaks have picked up from the southwest 35 with gusts to 60 But most ridge tops are around 25, gusting to 50. It’s also blowing hard in the mountain valley bottoms with 25 gusting to 50 at the base of Alta. In the Logan and Ogden area mountains, it is blowing much harder, 55, gusting to near 80. The Logan mountains got 4 inches of dense snow overnight with .7 inches of water. Snow has just started falling in the Salt Lake area mountains. It’s still very warm this morning with 8,000’ temperatures near 40 and ridge top temperatures in the mid 20’s. Forecaster: Bruce Tremper No avalanches were reported yesterday. 24 Hrs The winds are blowing hard this morning even at lower elevations, so, as usual, you will need to avoid any steep slope with recent wind deposits and you will find them today in more unusual places, like the sides of gullies at lower elevations. These wind slabs will be especially sensitive since they sit on top of very weak faceted snow.

24 Hrs In the non-wind loaded slopes, to make an avalanche you need both a weak layer and a slab. Right now our snowpack is nothing but 100 percent weak layer and zero percent slab. Today as the new snow adds up, we will set the brick on top of the pile of tortilla chips and the snowpack will start to get cranky. So today you need to carefully monitor how this storm piles on the weight. We’re expecting less than an inch of additional water weight today, which will probably not make the avalanche danger rise significantly, but we get two inches of water weight will make everything come unglued. As you travel today be sure to carefully test how the new snow is bonding to the old snow by digging down with your hand or jumping on small test slopes to see how they respond.

Ridge top winds will reach their maximum by early to mid morning blowing 35, gusting to 50 and 45, gusting to 70 on the highest peaks. Snow should begin by mid day and continue through the evening and ridge top winds should decrease by mid day. We’re expecting about 6 inches of new snow today, which may be 10 inches by Friday morning in some areas. The cold front will arrive later today and it will drop ridge top temperatures from the mid 20’s this morning down to the single digits on Friday morning. Unfortunately, the storm looks like a quick-hitter and ridge top winds will drop by mid day and turn northerly very quickly tonight, which usually shuts off our precipitation.

Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides taught an avalanche class in Grizzly Gulch. Today, they will most likely not fly but if they do, they will be in Mineral, Cardiff, Days, Silver, American Fork.uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Brett Kobernik will update this advisory by 7:30 on Friday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Jan 5, 2007

January 5, 2007 - 7:02 am Today, the avalanche danger is MODERATE on all slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, at upper, mid and low elevations. As the wind speeds increase this afternoon and tonight, the avalanche danger will rise to CONSIDERABLE on steep, wind drifted slopes. If you stay on slopes less steep than about 35 degrees, which are not connected to or below steeper slopes, the avalanche danger is generally LOW.

Evelyn Lees

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia Its around 7 am, and Im still trying to figure out how to call in sick today. In a normal year, a storm with totals of 8-12 wouldnt qualify for sneaking out of work, but with the current season, its looking like a lot of fun. The mountain snow was fairly evenly distributed from Ogden south through Provo, with water contents of under one inch. The winds cooperated by decreasing just as it started snowing yesterday. They have been from the northwest in the 10 to 15 mph range, with gusts to 20. Only a few of the highest peaks have 20 mph averages, with gusts to 30. Temperatures have plummeted into the single digits along the high ridges, and are in the teens at mid elevations.

The new snow landed on a wide assortment of old snow surfaces, including hard old wind slabs and weak, recrystalized powder. Yesterday, loose snow sluffing was common, with one natural soft slab avalanche reported in the Ogden area mountains, 1½ feet deep, off a steep, northeast facing, high elevation ridgeline. Two small old wind slabs, 10 to 15 inches deep and about 20 wide, were triggered in the Provo area mountains, failing on the facets beneath.

24 Hrs Today, I expect similar activity until the winds increase and start to drift the new snow. This morning, the new snow will sluff easily on steep slopes some of these sluffs could be long running, so be alert to parties below you. Yesterday, I found the weakest snow on those sheltered, shady slopes that had the best recrystalized snow conditions the past few days. All it took was a hard turn or a quick slide slip to get the new snow sluffing. Often the weaker snow was several turns off the wind hammered ridgelines and more pronounced at mid elevations and along the low elevation creek beds and steep road cuts. Today will be a great day to jump on small test slopes, kick cornices if possible, and definitely avoid terrain traps such as gullies. The now hidden, hard old wind slabs can still be triggered in isolated palaces, so dont get surprised. 24 Hrs The winds are forecast to increase later this afternoon, and once they start to drift the snow into more cohesive drifts, the avalanche danger will rise. I dont expect slides to break into the deeper faceted weak layers today, but with the junk show of a snow pack we have, the possibility does exist, especially in areas where the snow pack is less than about a meter deep. Watch for cracking and listen for collapsing, or whoomphing noises, indications of the potential for a deeper release.

A few final snow showers this morning could add another inch or two of feathery snow before skies clear. Temperatures will be cold today, in the low teens at 8,000 and near zero at 10,000. The increasing winds will make it feel even colder, as they pick up into the 15 to 20 mph range with gusts in the 30s. Along the higher ridges, 25 mph averages with gusts in the 50s will be possible late afternoon. A fast moving disturbance will move into northern Utah tomorrow, with a few inches of snow and hazardously strong winds.

Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides did not fly, and if they can fly today, they will be in Mineral, Cardiff, Days, Silver, White Pine, Grizzly, and American Fork.

uac@avalanche.org (UAC@AVALANCHE.ORG//). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Brett Kobernik will update this advisory by 7:30 on Saturday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

Utah Avalanche Center · Jan 6, 2007

January 6, 2007 - 7:04 am Today, the avalanche danger is MODERATE on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees which includes sluffing on all aspects and potential for slab avalanches in the wind affected terrain which is mainly higher in elevation. As the wind speeds increase the avalanche danger will rise to CONSIDERABLE on steep, wind drifted slopes. These may break into deeper weak layers which would produce a much more serious avalanche. The avalanche danger is not as great on slopes less then 35 degrees in non wind affected terrain.

Kobernik

Links: Avalanche List Photos Profile List Weather Links Encyclopedia The last small storm produced a well needed refresher and most mountain locations from Ogden down to Provo received 6 to 12 of light density new snow which includes a few inches that fell during the day on Friday. Mountain temperatures remain chilly in the single digits and the winds are still generally in the 10mph range from the northwest but have increased slightly over the last few hours.

The light density snow that fell produced a fairly wide spread natural dry loose snow avalanche cycle Thursday night which didnt pose a real great threat. (PHOTO) Many people were able to initiate sluffing on Friday from slope cuts or from just disturbing the new snow on steeper slopes. (PHOTO: skier initiated) The slopes needed to be over 35 degrees in steepness. A few slab avalanches were triggered as well including one on southeast facing Mt Superior which reportedly broke 40 feet wide and propagated 50 above the person who was not caught. It ran around 800 feet vertical before going out of sight. I also was able to initiate a couple of soft slabs in the Twin Lakes pass area which were of very minor consequence but did propagate as a slab. (PHOTO) The areas that produced these soft slabs were slightly affected by the wind which brings us to todays main concern.

24 Hrs The winds are forecast to pick up today which will easily transport this light density snow and form sensitive drifts. The new snow does contain some weakness so Id expect that the new slabs will be quite sensitive once they start forming. You may also find a few of these that already formed yesterday along the ridges which were demonstrated by a few folks who triggered them as I described. Also keep in mind that sluffing will be likely again today on the steeper slopes but should be manageable for experienced users.

24 Hrs Id like to remind everyone that we do have a generally weak deeper snowpack structure thats formed so far this year. This latest storm did not overload it enough to break into deeper layers but todays forecast wind event may push it over the edge in many places. Areas around Jackson Hole and the Tetons have been in a similar pattern but received a bit more snow out of this last storm where 7 people were caught in avalanches on Thursday and there was one fatality from an avalanche on Friday. This should indicate what could happen to our similar weak snow structure here, especially with todays winds. Also keep in mind that fewer snow storms tend to breed powder fever once we do get some new snow. Try not to let your hunger for fresh snow override your decision making. This is very hard to accomplish even for experienced people like myself.

Today well see increasing clouds and wind with a chance for snow today and a better chance in the afternoon. 2 to 4 inches is possible. Temperatures will remain cold in the single digits to mid teens and ridgetop winds will be from the northwest gradually increasing through the day until they reach into the 40 to 50mph range this evening. Snow showers will end later this evening.

Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides did not fly, and if they can fly today, they will be in Mineral, Cardiff, Days, Silver, Grizzly, and White Pine.

uac@avalanche.org (uac@avalanche.org). (Fax 801-524-6301)The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.Drew Hardesty will update this advisory by 7:30 on Sunday morning, and thanks for calling.

This advisory provided by the Wasatch Cache National Forest, in partnership with:
Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County

DISCLAIMER: Above is information on each factor affecting todays' danger rating. All factors must be considered to develop a backcountry travel plan that will reduce your risk.

The post was created using an automated process maintained by First Tracks! Online.

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