Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Wednesday - February 18, 2015 - 5:07am
bottom line

In general the avalanche danger is LOW.
special announcement

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.

For more information: www.montana.edu/snowscience/tracks For snowmobilers: www.montana.edu/snowscience/sleds

We just released an exciting, new avy safety video designed specifically for snowmobilers - Knowledge is Powder. https://vimeo.com/113677686

NEW THIS YEAR: You can now receive advisories by email for each region in the state. Go here for details.
current conditions

High pressure remains over the region giving us clear skies overnight and morning temperatures in the mid teens and low 20's. West and northwest winds ramped up along the ridges just after midnight and are blowing 25-35 mph, with a few gusts in the 50's along the high peaks. The low elevation trailheads have taken a hard hit and are generally a mess. However, if you're up for a mini adventure, high elevation north facing, wind sheltered terrain, still offers shallow soft powder. Ted was in Millcreek yesterday and posted a great ob with a video panarama. Click here to check out his trip report.

Yep... it's been an unusual winter for sure.

Click here for real-time temperatures, snowfall, and winds.
recent activity

No new avalanche activity to report
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

It's been quiet the past few days and there's only a handful of people getting out and about. In general, the avalanche danger is Low and the snowpack is well behaved. Here's some things to consider-

  • With a "go anywhere" supportable base, if you're getting after it and climbing steep, technical terrain, take a moment, think about the consequences of triggering even a small avalanche, and have an exit strategy planned.
  • There could be a fresh wind drift or two sensitive to the weight of a rider along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges. Lose a little elevation and you'll lose the problem.
  • South facing terrain is slick and icy in the early morning hours, but should soften by about midday today, offering smooth, velvety goodness.
weather

Mostly sunny skies and warmer temperatures are on tap today. Highs reach into the 40's with overnight lows in the 20's. Northwest winds should begin to relax as the day progresses. Partly cloudy and a little warmer Thursday and then winds and clouds increase Friday ahead of a storm slated to slide through the state over the weekend. There's still a lot of uncertainty regarding the track of this storm and how much snow we'll receive, but I'm cautiously optimistic a fresh coat of white paint is in our future.
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 call me directly at 801-231-2170, email [email protected], or email by clicking HERE

This is a great time of year to schedule a free avalanche awareness presentation for your group or club. You can contact me at 801-231-2170 or email [email protected]

Donate to your favorite non-profit –The Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

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.

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

The information in this advisory is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

I will update this advisory by 7:00 AM Saturday Feb. 21, 2015.