Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Logan Area Mountains Issued by Toby Weed for Wednesday - March 28, 2018 - 7:15am
bottom line

Heightened avalanche conditions and MODERATE danger exist in drifted terrain at upper elevations where you could trigger cornice falls, wind slab avalanches and sluffs. Cloud cover and a breeze may help, but loose wet avalanches entraining fresh snow will be likely with seasonal daytime warmth.

  • Use normal caution, but evaluate snow and terrain carefully at upper elevations.
  • Avoid treacherous ridge top cornices, steep drifted slopes, and slopes with saturated fresh snow.

Paige will update this advisory by 7:30 Friday morning, 3/30/18.




special announcement

The UAC Marketplace is still open. Our online marketplace still has deals on skis, packs, airbag packs, beacons, snowshoes, soft goods and much more.
current conditions

Sun affected the nice powder on all but north facing slopes yesterday, and we'll find crusty conditions in most areas this morning. Westerly winds picked up late yesterday and were sustained overnight, drifting soft snow at upper elevations. Triggered cornice falls and wind slab avalanches are possible today, and seasonal warming will create rising danger of loose wet avalanches entraining fresh snow.

  • The Tony Grove Snotel at 8400' reports 28°F, and there's 71 inches of total snow, with 85% of normal SWE.
  • The UDOT weather station at Hwy 89 Logan Summit reports 30°F, with 15 mph west winds, gusting to 39 mph.

Clouds finally cleared off the Wellsville Range, and we could see a few nice natural avalanches, likely from late in the warm, rainy, and windy storm, (3/23 or 3/24)
recent activity
  • A large natural avalanche was spotted Friday on the Willard Peak Headwall above the North Fork of the Ogden River.
  • With clearing yesterday we could see some nice recent natural avalanches in the Wellsville Mountain Wilderness.
  • We observed evidence of numerous natural sluffs and a few small wind slabs in very steep upper elevation terrain in the Central Bear River Range Monday, and observers report triggering significant sluffing on steep slopes in the Tony Grove Area again yesterday.

A couple natural avalanches in steep terrain near Naomi Peak (viewed on 3/26). A small cornice-fall triggered wind slab (left) and dry sluffs entraining powder snow.

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

Human triggered wind slab avalanches and cornice falls are possible in drifted terrain at upper elevations.

  • Avoid drifted snow in and around terrain features like sub-ridges, gullies, scoops, and cliff bands.
  • Stay well clear of ridge-top cornices, which often break further back than expected and can trigger avalanches on steep slopes below.
  • Loose dry avalanches (or dry sluffs) remain possible on steep upper elevation slopes.

Triggered loose dry avalanches or sluffs were common on very steep upper elevation slopes yesterday in the Tony Grove Area

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

Clouds and a breeze should help keep things cool, but seasonal warming will create increasing danger of loose wet avalanches entraining saturated fresh snow.

Avalanche Problem 3
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Dangerous deep or persistent slab avalanches are unlikely yet still possible in isolated drifted areas with shallow weak snow. I've found suspect conditions recently on steep forested slopes, in shallow rocky terrain, and in outlying, wilderness, and rarely visited areas. The danger of large avalanches failing on old snow will rise with as day and night temperatures rise this spring.
weather

The broad area of high pressure aloft across the western states will generate a warming trend across Utah through the end of the week.

  • Today: A chance of flurries. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Breezy, with a west northwest wind 16 to 22 mph.
  • Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Blustery, with a west wind 17 to 22 mph decreasing to 11 to 16 mph after midnight.
  • Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. West wind 9 to 11 mph.
general announcements

We have lift tickets for Snowbasin and Powder Mountain remaining. The tickets are discounted an additional 20%. Details and order information here. All proceeds from these go towards paying for avalanche forecasting and education!

Episode 7 of the UAC Podcast "Mastery and False Mastery - An Interview with 'Big' Don Sharaf" is live. With a snow career spanning over 30 years, Don has enough mileage in the mountains to have learned a thing or two, including the profound value of humility when staring into the face of the dragon. Listen in on our conversation about the idea of mastery and if such a thing can exist in the avalanche world. Check it out on ​the UAC blog, ITunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The UAC has new support programs with Outdoor Research and Darn Tough. Support the UAC through your daily shopping. When you shop at Smith's, or online at Outdoor Research, REI, Backcountry.com, Darn Tough, Patagonia, NRS, Amazon, eBay a portion of your purchase will be donated to the FUAC. See our Donate Page for more details on how you can support the UAC when you shop.

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 Check it out on ITunes, Stitcher, the UAC blog, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now is a great time to practice companion rescue techniques with your backcountry partners. Here's our rescue practice video.

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Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out by submitting snow and avalanche observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your Instagram.

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 occur.