In partnership with:
Tri-City
Performance, Polaris, the
The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after
the date and time it’s issued, but will be updated Sunday April 1, 2007.
Good Morning! This is Craig
Gordon with the
This
advisory covers the terrain from Daniels Summit, to
Current Conditions:
A weak ridge of high pressure moved over the region
last night producing partly cloudy skies and creating a slight temperature
inversion this morning. Currently at 10,000’ it’s in the low to mid 20’s and at
8,000’ in the upper teens. Winds are generally out of the west-northwest
averaging 15-25 mph, though along the highest ridges it’s been blowing steadily
in the 30-40 mph range for most of the night. Riding and turning conditions
have vastly improved since the midweek storm settled in and wrap around
moisture turned out to be the gift that kept on giving. Snow totals above 9,500’
are in the 8”-10” range and you may find a favored location or two where it’s
closer to a foot.
Avalanche Conditions:
This storm has been good
to the western Uinta’s, laying down a nice new coat of white paint, helping to
cushion the hard old melt crusts. Unfortunately, storm totals didn’t stack up
to over-the head and over-the-hood proportions as forecast, but I was surprised
yesterday at just how good the riding was, especially at upper elevations. The
winter-like conditions of the past few days will be changing as the strong springtime
sun makes an appearance and today we’ll be dealing with two different types of
avalanche problems- dry snow up high on shady slopes and shallow wet avalanches
on all steep sun exposed aspects.
First off, though the storm
came in with little wind its exit ushered in strong ridge top winds overnight,
whipping the new light density snow into shallow wind drifts along the leeward
side of upper elevation ridges. The new wind slabs
will be easy to detect by their fat, pillow-like appearance and may be
sensitive the additional weight of a rider, predictably cracking around or
below you. Also, in upper elevation terrain sheltered from the wind, you’ll be
able to trigger shallow sluffs
within the new snow on steep slopes. Both are very manageable and in either
case a well placed slope cut
will give you a good feel for the stability of the slope.
As the sun pokes out for
the first time since the beginning of the storm it won’t take long for the new
snow to get damp and gloppy, particularly during the
heat of the day. You can expect the usual round of shallow wet
avalanches to occur, especially on steep sun exposed slopes, so as the day
wares on you’ll want to avoid being on or underneath any steep slope that’s
getting baked by the sun.
Even though the avalanche
conditions seem pretty tame, there are some hard slick bed surfaces for
avalanches to run on, so think about the consequences of triggering even a
shallow slide and going for an unexpected ride down a steep slope.
Bottom Line:
On most slopes throughout
the range the avalanche danger is generally LOW this morning, rising to MODERATE on
steep sun-exposed slopes during the heat of the day. A MODERATE avalanche danger means human triggered avalanche are
possible.
Wind drifted slopes above
tree-line, especially those steeper than about 35 degrees, have pockets of MODERATE
avalanche danger and human triggered dry snow avalanches are possible.
Mountain Weather:
Partly
cloudy skies are on tap for most day, though we can expect increasing afternoon
clouds as a weak Pacific disturbance crosses the area tonight. It’ll be cool
with highs at 8,000’ in the low 40’s and at 10,000’ near freezing. Overnight we’ll
see a flurry or two and lows under mostly cloudy skies should dip into the mid
20’s. Winds will remain out of the west-northwest averaging 10-20 mph at most
locations, gusting into the 40’s along the high peaks. Mostly cloudy skies are
slated for Sunday with temperatures warming into the low 50’s. A somewhat
stronger system will send a cold front through the area Sunday night into
Monday and we might be able to squeak 3”-6” out of this storm before warm high
pressure returns Tuesday through the end of the week.
Announcements:
I completed a
preliminary investigation on the avalanche accident that occurred on Saturday
Feb.17th in
The
I’d like to thank Jim Shea, The Canyons and Colleen
Graham from the Friends of the UAC for all their hard work in making the Know
Before You Go fundraiser such a success!
The first annual western Uinta fundraising ride was
an amazing success with nearly 150 people showing up for the ride alone!
I want to thank the Jim Shea Family Foundation,
Rocky Mountain Sledders, the Wasatch Snowmobile Association and the Utah
Snowmobile Association for all their tireless work in putting the event
together. Thanks again to Team Thunderstruck and the Boondockers
crew for helping out and schooling even the most experienced riders. Also, we
couldn’t have pulled it off if it weren’t for Chad Booth who did an incredible
job as both master of ceremonies and auctioneer. Finally, it wouldn’t have been
possible without the support of everyone who attended… you folks are awesome!
I want to thank the crew at Tri-City Performance in
Springville along with Polaris and the Utah Snowmobile Association for
partnering with the avalanche center and stepping up to the plate by providing
a new sled for this season! Click
here, to
see the new
ride!
We installed Beacon Basin at the Noblett’s
Trailhead and it’s good to go. I want to thank Doug, Bill, Jared, Brad and
Wally who
unselfishly took time out of their powder day to
help out the riding community… you guys rock!
Free avalanche awareness classes are available. Give
me a call at 801-231-2170 or email [email protected]
and get one scheduled before the season gets too crazy!
If any terms confuse you, take a look at our new avalanche encyclopedia.
For
avalanche photos click here.
General Information:
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’ll update this advisory by 7:00 am on Sunday
April 1, 2007.
This advisory is also available by calling
1-800-648-7433 or
1-888-999-4019.
.