March Kicks Off Our Spring Campaign- Donate Now to Support Forecasting
Ad
The National Forest Service Logo
icon-add Observation
Forecasts
Logan Ogden Salt Lake Provo Uintas Skyline Moab Abajos Weather Archives How to read the forecast
Observations & Avalanches
Submit Observation Observations Explorer All Observations Avalanches Fatalities Weather Place Names Map Archives
Education
Avalanche Class List UAC Class List Online Classes Resources and Tutorials Avalanche Awareness Develop Skills
Events
Store
About
Contact Who we are Core Values Staff Board of Directors Past Forecasters Sponsors Annual Reports Sign In
Blog
icon-add Observation
Donate / Join

Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Saturday morning, March 8, 2025
The danger remains CONSIDERABLE on very steep slopes that face northwest through east today.
The big concern is triggering an avalanche that breaks deep into older loose sugary weak layers.
The chances aren't that likely but the consequences are serious. It's a "low probability, high consequence" situation.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: Riding conditions around the Fairview zone are definitely as good as they've been all winter with "over the hood" conditions all day Friday. Ephraim Canyon and areas south have good conditions but just didn't pick up as much new snow. Scattered showers on Friday didn't add up to a whole lot. Wind has been almost calm over the last 24 hours. When it puffs, it's from the north. Temperatures stayed in the 20s on Friday and dropped into the low teens overnight.
Mountain Weather: We'll see sun and temperatures up around 30˚F today. Wind will stay light from the north. Sunday is clear and warmer. It looks like we may see another storm later next week that could bring a good shot of snow.
Ad
Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
The new snow proved to be mostly stable on Friday. Today, we'll probably see some wet activity as the sun heats slopes but I'm not anticipating this to be a big deal. Just watch out as things start to warm.
What is a big deal is the chance for triggering a deeper avalanche that breaks into older weak sugary faceted snow. All the new snow this week has added some weight to the snowpack which stresses the old weak layers. Riders in the Ephraim Canyon zone reported experiencing a large collapse and felt the snow drop underneath them while they were up on a slope. They also reported another slope that completely cracked out in front of them but didn't release. These are two MAJOR red flags.
I continue to hold my cards tight. Even though I think that most slopes will stay in place today, it's just too risky for me knowing that old sugar is lurking down below. Friday was an incredible day on the sled, all on slopes below 30˚ in steepness. I plan to do the same today.
Additional Information
General Announcements
This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
< Previous forecast