Skies are clear with light to moderate wind from the west-northwest. Temps are in the 30s with some overnight "lows" along the mid-elevation thermal belt near 40°F. Riding conditions and thin and threadbare at the low and mid-elevations but with up to 2 feet of snow up high. Forecasters Nikki Champion and Brooke Maushund were up along the Ogden Skyline yesterday and described that 2 feet up high in the following way:
A mix of snow surfaces out there. At lower elevations or on solar aspects, the snow was damp. In spots that had warmed up and then dipped back into the shade, a thin melt freeze crust formed, which made it tricky to hold an edge and sometimes supportable and sometimes not. In the wind zone, we found the spectrum. Along the ridge crests, there were big, supportable wind drifts you could arc turns on, all the way down to thin wind skins that you could punch through while turning.
+ Forecasters Nikki Champion and Brooke Maushund's report from yesterday along the Ogden Skyline
+ Forecaster Trent Meisenheimer and other UAC staff's report from the Powder Mountain periphery from Wednesday HERE.
But at least it was beautiful out. It'll be the same today: sunny skies, light to moderate wind from the west-northwest, and temps rising into the upper 40s. Warmer and milder conditions are expected over the weekend with some glimmers of hope for snow on the horizon. We'll see.
There were no new avalanches reported from the backcountry or the ski areas yesterday. The last reported avalanches were from the widespread natural avalanche cycle over the weekend - the heavy, dense snow and wind easily tipped the scales with soft slabs failing 12-18" deep on the old faceted snow.
