Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Logan Area Mountains Issued by Toby Weed for Friday - February 6, 2015 - 6:59am
bottom line

Dangerous avalanche conditions remain and there's a CONSIDERABLE (level 3) danger at upper elevations in the backcountry. Dangerous triggered persistent slab avalanches are possible on slopes steeper than about 30 degrees, especially in drifted terrain above about 8500'. Midday warmth will create heightened wet avalanche conditions on steep slopes with saturated surface snow.

  • Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route finding, and conservative decision making are essential at upper elevations again today.
  • Avoid steep drifted slopes at upper elevations and ridge-top cornices, which might break further back than you expect and could trigger avalanches on slopes below.
  • Avoid midday travel on and under steep slopes with saturated surface snow.

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special announcement

***Check out our Practicing Companion Rescue video........HERE

current conditions

While it rained down low, it snowed up high this week, and the Tony Grove Snotel reports a new load with 5" of snow water equivalent since February 2. There's now 73 inches of total snow containing 118% of average water for the date and it's a balmy 41 degrees this morning at the 8400' site. The UDOT Hwy 89 Logan Summit weather station reports 42 degrees this morning and increasing west-southwest winds overnight. Heavy new snow and strong winds earlier in the week created dangerous avalanche conditions at upper elevations, with multiple impressive sled triggered slides Wednesday and again yesterday in the Tony Grove Area. There is lots of heavy new snow above about 8000' and riding conditions are good, but it's too warm! Melt has taken a serious toll, and mid elevation snow and any remaining lower elevation snow is saturated throughout.


A fresh avalanche with tracks into and, thankfully, back out of it. Mt. Magog, South Ridge. 2-5-2015
recent activity

There were multiple sled triggered soft slab avalanches in the Tony Grove Area Wednesday and yesterday (2/5/15), and luckily nobody got hurt. The avalanches were 1.5 to 3 feet deep and quite wide, and occurred on slopes facing various directions . The weak layer consists of small sugary, near surface facets and perhaps a bit of frost or surface hoar. The thin layer of weak snow was on the surface at the end of January, and the avalanches are failing and running on top of a rime-crust from 1/24,25/15....

Visit our Backcountry Observations Page for more local information and from across the state.

Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Dangerous triggered persistent slab avalanches 1.5 to 3 feet deep, consisting of heavy drifted snow from earlier in the week remain probable on some drifted upper elevation slopes today, and are most likely on north, northeast, east, and southeast facing slopes. You should be wary around terrain features like cliff bands, sub-ridges, and gullies where wind slabs may have formed, and avoid drifted slopes steeper than about 30 degrees at upper elevations.

Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Avoid recently built ridge-top cornices, which might break further back than you expect and could trigger avalanches on steep slopes below.
Avalanche Problem 3
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 10 hours
description

Warmth and perhaps a bit of green-housing will create heightened wet avalanche conditions today, especially on sunny slopes with wet surface snow. It should be partly cloudy and a bit breezy again today, but 8500' temperatures will rise well into the mid-forties. Wet sluffs and heat induced soft slabs are possible on steep slopes with saturated surface snow, especially during the warmth of midday.

weather

It'll be partly sunny and warm today in the mountains, with increasing southwest winds and 8500' high temperatures around 46 degrees. Expect mostly cloudy conditions tonight with a low temperature around 34 degrees and, it'll be windy, with strong southwest wind expected. A little snow is expected tomorrow, with a high of 40 and a continued southwest breeze. 1 to 2 inches in the forecast.

Check out our one-stop weather page........HERE

general announcements

Special thanks to Buttar's and ArcticCat for hooking us up with the light and powerful M8000.   This machine will make our field days more fun, safe, and productive and will significantly boost our outreach and education efforts.

RESEARCH PROJECT ON UNDERSTANDING TRAVEL BEHAVIOR IN AVALANCHE TERRAIN NEEDS YOU!!     Scientists from the Snow and Avalanche Lab at Montana State University are seeking more participants for their project examining decision making and travel in avalanche terrain.   Their project aims to collect GPS location information (from your smartphone) and survey responses from backcountry skiers and riders to better understand what types of terrain are used, and how decisions are made. Their focus is on backcountry skiers and riders of all abilities and experience. 

More information: If you want to participate, or learn more about their project aims, research questions and approaches, please visit their web page: www.montana.edu/snowscience/tracks   or their companion site directed toward snowmobilers at: www.montana.edu/snowscience/sleds

You can now receive advisories by email for the Logan Zone.  Go here for details.

 Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools, with our updated,  Utah Avalanche Center mobile app 

Discount lift tickets are now 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.

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.

***Please submit snow and avalanche observations from your ventures in the backcountry HERE. You can call us at 801-524-5304 or email HERE, or include #utavy in your Instagram or Tweet us @UAClogan. To report avalanche activity in the Logan Area or to contact the local avalanche forecaster call me, Toby, at 435-757-7578. 

I'll regularly update this advisory on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday mornings by about 7:30.   This advisory is produced by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. It describes only general avalanche conditions and local variations always exist.