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Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Trent Meisenheimer
Issued by Trent Meisenheimer for
Thursday, December 14, 2017

The avalanche danger is LOW. Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features, mostly confined to upper elevation north and east facing slopes that recieved fresh drifts of wind blown snow from yesterday's bump in wind speeds.

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Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements

With no change in conditions expected or any storms on the horizon, we will be issuing intermittent advisories. The next update will be Saturday the 16th of December.

Get important updates from the UAC via text message directly to your phone. Its very simple - text 40404 and send this message "Follow uacwasatch".

Looking for a great stocking stuffer for Christmas? Discount lift tickets for Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Deer Valley, Snowbasin,and Beaver Mountain are now available, donated by the resorts to benefit the Utah Avalanche Center. Details and order information here. These make a great holiday gift and all proceeds go towards paying for avalanche forecasting and education!

Please abide by the uphill travel policies of the ski resorts. Info here.

Weather and Snow

I was beginning to think I was in Steven Kings horror movie "The Mist" - until I woke up this morning and saw a little relief from the valley inversion. A cold front to our east overnight brought a few snowflakes and wind to the Ogden mountains. Northwest winds picked up yesterday as the cold front slid through the region and temperatures dropped. This morning the winds have changed direction and are currently out of the NE blowing 10-20 mph gusting into the 20's at upper elevations. Clear and cold this morning with mountain top and trailhead temperatures in the upper teens..

Riding and turning conditions vary greatly over the different aspects and elevations. There is very little snow below 7500' in elevation, while at 9,400' feet on the northerly aspects our snowpack varies from 12 to 36 inches of snow (1-3 ft). The best turning and riding conditions will be found on upper elevation north facing low angle terrain. Many of the sunlit aspects will be crusted in the morning and should soften with the daytime heating.

View the latest observations here.

Recent Avalanches

There have been no recently reported avalanches.

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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
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LOW danger does not mean NO danger. Small avalanches can still be triggered in isolated places or radical terrain. The most likely place to trigger any of these slides would be on a steep, upper elevation northwest through northeasterly facing slope. Watch for fresh drifts of wind blown snow following last nights bump in wind speeds. Also, watch for loose snow sluffs on steep sustained slopes.

Now is a great time for a shake down tour -make sure all your gear is working properly and your beacon, shovel, and probe are in good working order. It's also a great time to read your favorite avalanche book, take a class, or watch this simple video below. Once we get a decent storm here in Utah we can expect dangerous avalanche conditions.

Know Before You Go from Trent Meisenheimer on Vimeo.

Additional Information

Under a northerly flow this morning we have clear skies and cold temperatures. Winds will be from the north and in the 10-20 mph range at upper elevations. Temperatures will rise into the low 30's before dipping back off into the teens overnight. High pressure will return for Thursday and Friday. The next chance for snow will be Friday night into Saturday morning.

General Announcements

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

To get help in an emergency (to request a rescue) in the Wasatch, call 911. Be prepared to give your GPS coordinates or the run name. Dispatchers have a copy of the Wasatch Backcountry Ski map.

Backcountry Emergencies. It outlines your step-by-step method in the event of a winter backcountry incident.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry, but no one is hurt and you do not need assistance, please notify the nearest ski area dispatch to avoid a needless response by rescue teams. Thanks.

EMAIL ADVISORY If you would like to get the daily advisory by email you subscribe here.

DAWN PATROL Hotline updated daily by 5-530am - 888-999-4019 option 8.

TWITTER Updates for your mobile phone - DETAILS

UDOT canyon closures: LINK TO UDOT, or on Twitter, follow @UDOTavy, @CanyonAlerts or @AltaCentral

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

Powderbird Helicopter Skiing - Blog/itinerary for the day

Ski Utah mobile snow updates

To those skinning uphill at resorts: it is critical to know the resort policy on uphill travel. You can see the uphill travel policy for each resort here.

Support the UAC through your daily shopping. When you shop at Smith's, or online at REI, Backcountry.com, Patagonia, NRS, Amazon, eBay by clicking on these links, they donate a portion of your purchase to the FUAC. If you sell on eBay, you can have your 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.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. 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.
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