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Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Evelyn Lees
Issued by Evelyn Lees for
Saturday, December 6, 2014

The avalanche danger in the Ogden area mountains is mostly LOW, though it may still be possible to trigger a slide on upper elevation slopes facing northwest through north through northeast. It could be a shallow old wind drift or ice crust, on possibly a slide breaking near the ground on facets.

Low
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High
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Special Announcements

You're going to love it! Yesterday we released the Knowledge is Powder video for snowmobilers. The Utah Avalanche Center, with major funding from the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, has released a very exciting 9-minute, avalanche safety video for snowmobilers. You can view it on Vimeo. Here is the link: https://vimeo.com/113677686 See our complete Press Release on the Blog. Please share this with your friends on social media. Many thanks to the hard work by producer and editor Trent Meisenheimer along with Craig Gordon and everyone who helped shoot, provide footage, act and all the extras.

Also, looking for a Christmas beacon for yourself or someone you love? Steve Achelis has updated his popular beacon review website. See more of Steve's projects on our Blog

Weather and Snow

Under cloudy skies, temperatures remained warm overnight, in the upper 20s to upper 30s in the Ogden area mountains. The southwesterly winds are light, averaging less than 15 mph at most stations. Even across the highest ridgelines, speeds are only averaging to 20 mph, with occasional gusts to 40.

Though shallow, the snow is generally supportable, making for reasonable travel conditions if you can get up high, whether you are snowmobiling, touring or snowshoeing. Packed trails and roads are the best access to higher terrain, . All other aspects and the low elevations will be frozen crusts in the mornings (with slide for life potential on icy slopes), and may be slower to soften today due to the clouds. Here are some observations from yesterday:

Ogden 12/5/2014 Observation: Ogden Evelyn Details
Ogden 12/5/2014 Observation: Cutler Ridge Tim Beaman Details
Recent Avalanches

No new avalanches were reported from the backcountry.

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Avalanche Problem #1
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

While the danger in the Ogden area mountains is mostly low, the focus is still on facets near the ground and any old, lingering wind drifts. There is a lot of variability in the shallow early season Ogden snow pack. Snow pits are showing basal facets ranging from moist and strengthening to dry, sugary and loose, and not always with a logical pattern. A snow pit or quick hand pit on one slope may not be representative of the snow pack on another slope.

There is an isolated chance of triggering a slide on the upper elevation, northerly facing slopes on these basal facets, an old, hard, hollow sounding wind drift or the frozen surface crust. Even a small slide knocking you off balance could send you for a ride down a hard icy slope.

Additional Information

It will be mostly cloudy today, with a slight chance for snow flurries as a weak splitting storm system moves across Utah. Ridge line temperatures will be near 30, 8000’ temperatures will warm to near 40. The southwesterly winds will be light, generally averaging less than 15 mph, with the high peaks occasionally gusting to near 30 mph. Looking to the future, there is unfortunately not much to talk about in the weather department. High pressure and above average temperatures will dominate our weather until around Friday, when there is hope for a little snow.

General Announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033), Canyons Resort Dispatch (435-615-3322)

Snowbasin Resort Dispatch (801-620-1017), Powder Mountain Dispatch (801-745-3772 x 123).

Sundance Dispatch (801-223-4150)

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DAWN PATROL Hotline updated daily by 5-530am - 888-999-4019 option 8.

Twitter Updates for your mobile phone - DETAILS

UDOT canyon closures: LINK TO UDOT

Utah Avalanche Center mobile app - Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides Blog/Itinerary for the Day.

Lost or Found something in the backcountry? - http://nolofo.com/

Ski Utah mobile snow updates

Discount lift tickets will soon be available at Backcountry.com - Thanks to Ski Utah and the Utah Resorts. All proceeds go towards paying for Utah Avalanche Center avalanche and mountain weather advisories.

To those skinning uphill at resorts: it is your responsibility to know the resort policy on uphill travel. You can see the uphill travel policy for each resort here. IMPORTANT: Before skinning or hiking at a resort under new snow conditions, check in with Ski Patrol. Resorts can restrict or cut off access if incompatible with control and grooming operations.

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you shop from Backcountry.com or REI: Click this link for Backcountry.com or this link to REI, shop, and they will donate a percent of your purchase price to the UAC. Both offer free shipping (with some conditions) so this costs you nothing!

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on ebay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your ebay account here and click on ebay gives when you buy or sell. You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always exist.

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