Mirror Lake Highway is currently open, but don't let this easy access to the western Uintas lull you into a false sense of security just because you can see your car from a nearby ridge or mountain top. The Uinta snowpack is notoriously sketchy and much weaker than you might find in the central Wasatch. If you're getting into steep terrain, be prepared for your own self rescue- that means travel with experienced partners and wear and know how to use an avalanche beacon, shovel and probe.

The avalanche danger is generally LOW and human triggered avalanches are unlikely. Remember- LOW doesn't mean NO and there may be an old wind slab or two that could still be reactive to your additional weight.

The trailing edge to yesterday's system clipped northern Utah overnight and we finally have some new snow to talk about. Trial Lake and Chalk Creek are reporting 3" and the lower elevations picked up an inch or so. Total snow depths still only average 16"-20". Limited riding and turning conditions can be found on upper elevation, north facing, rock free slopes and meadows and low angle terrain is your best bet for turns. Currently, temperatures are near zero at 10,000' and right around 5 degrees at 8,000'. Winds are light and variable, blowing less than 10 mph even along the high ridges.

No recent avalanche activity to report

A very cold system is exiting the area this morning, but enough moisture and instability remains for the chance of light snow, primarily this morning. Today's high temperatures barley get out of the single digits and overnight lows will be near -5 degrees. West and northwest winds remain light, less than 15 mph, for most of the day, before switching to the southwest and increasing slightly. We remain in an unsettled pattern the next few days, but the bulk of the energy dives into central and southern Utah. However, there should still be enough moisture around for our region to see snow totals in the 4"-8" range by late Tuesday. The Uinta's could fair a bit better later in the week as another series of systems materializes. Certainty at this point is of course a crap shoot, but we'll keep you posted with the mid week update.

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:00 AM Wednesday December 9th.

If you’re getting out and about and trigger an avalanche or see anything interesting please drop me an email at craig@utahavalanchecenter.org or call 801-231-2170

Also, now is a great time to schedule one of our free avalanche awareness presentations for your group or club. Email or call me and we’ll get you booked before things get too crazy.