This past week has been highlighted by the see-sawing of storm and bluebird days, with avalanche activity ranging from storm and wind slabs during stormy periods, to predictable wet activity on sunny days. A weak storm on Saturday delivered 4-6" by late in the day in the central Wasatch. Sunday started cool & clear, but the strong March sun brought the usual round of shallow wet loose activity by mid-day. Monday was a classic March storm, with snow totals ranging from 6-13" during the day. A particular highlight was Alta recording 7" of snow from noon - 1 pm. …

The prolonged ridge of high pressure (aka the "Dylan Ridge") continued through the weekend of March 18/19 with breezy conditions ahead of a week system that produced a few mountain rain showers and a trace of graupel on Monday. Skies cleared somewhat later Tuesday, and Wednesday brought a warm, moist storm system that deposited up to 5" of dense graupel, with 20% density. The rain/snow line was above 9500' During this past week, many mountain locations maintained above freezing temperatures for well over a week. On Thursday a moist storm system arrived, bringing the …

Guest post by Tom Diegel “It’s long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle While the last week or two has felt an awful lot like spring, there is no doubt that we’ll be getting additional storms before the sun comes out in earnest. Typically the snowpack gets more stable in the spring, but we’ll hopefully get enough snow that avalanche danger will again rear its head, and we’ll need to respond accordingly. Along those lines, here is the last of The Little Things that might help to keep you safe …

Week in Review - Greg Gagne The past week has been highlighted by what hasn't happened, which is any resemblance of winter. The most dominant ridging pattern of the otherwise excellent 2016/17 winter season has placed a stranglehold on the Wasatch. High and low temperatures observed this week at Alta guard station at 8800' in Little Cottonwood Canyon: Saturday 3/11 46/28 Sunday 3/12 40/29 Monday 3/13 50/29 Tuesday 3/14 52/33 Wednesday 3/15 54/37 Thursday 3/16 51/34 As can be seen, it has been several days without below freezing temperatures.Other stations recorded …

Guest post by Tom Diegel This installment of “The Little Things” associated with safety involves the most difficult component of skiing in avalanche terrain: ourselves! One thing that my partners and I like to do is maintain good backcountry habits; we do this to avoid getting surprised and to be prepared for that rare incident that can change your day from fun to terror. Be sure to check out installments one and two. And look for number four in a few days! Any pilot will tell you that following protocol is a good way to improve the odds of a safe journey, regardless of …

The weekend of March 4/5 was highlighted by increasingly strong winds, with upper elevation gusts over 70 mph at many mid and upper elevation stations. These winds were ahead of a vigorous cold front that hit the Wasatch mountains early Sunday evening, where some even heard the sound of a thunder as it roared out a warning of the approaching storm. For those that did not seek shelter from the storm, by Tuesday morning they would have found storm totals including 11-16” in the Ogden, Park City and Salt Lake mountains. (Significantly less snow fell in the Provo …

Guest post by Tom Diegel Another installment in The Little Things that aren’t necessarily taught in avalanche classes. These aren’t certified in any way by AAI or AIARE or any other formal avalanche program, and of course not guaranteed to save you, but as before, they might! Make sure to check out Part 1. This installment talks about the rest of your gear besides the beacon. In no particular order: Shovel – if you don’t have a 3-piece/long-handled shovel, get one. It is hard to overemphasize how hard digging through avalanche debris is, and the extra leverage …