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Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Drew Hardesty
Issued by Drew Hardesty for
Sunday, March 3, 2019
A MODERATE DANGER exists at the mid and upper elevations of the Provo Mountains. Shallow wind drifts and loose snow avalanches may be found in steep terrain of the mid and upper elevations. Human triggered avalanches remain possible in thinner snowpack areas or areas that have avalanched previously this winter. Extra caution is advised.
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Special Announcements
Enjoy spring skiing at Snowbasin Resort. The UAC has discount Snowbasin tickets available.
Like clockwork, the Week in Review has arrived. Catch up on the past week’s weather and avalanches.
Announcement: Join Drew Hardesty at 7PM on Wednesday, March 6 at Rocksteady Bodyworks in SLc for an interactive discussion on the State of the Snowpack.
The latest podcast is out. In this episode, we sit down with Ian McCammon. Ian has done as much for the avalanche community as nearly anyone over the past 20 years and recently received the highest award given by the American Avalanche Association. Tune in -
Weather and Snow
Old Man Winter continues to run the show in the Wasatch. The Provo mountains picked up another 3-5" of snow overnight and we'll see perhaps another inch or two over the course of the day. Mountain temps are in the upper teens and low 20s. Winds are generally light from the west northwest except along the highest peaks and ridgelines where they have hourly averages of 20-25mph with gusts to 30. Skiing and riding conditions are really something these days.
I toured up into the Provo mountains yesterday and found varied avalanche conditions and excellent skiing. Our observation can be found here.
Recent Avalanches
It's slightly outside of the Provo area zone, but a backcountry observer has a excellent write-up on his close call on Mt Nebo yesterday. It is, however, representative of the high alpine terrain of Provo.
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Avalanche Problem #1
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Sluffing in the new snow on steep (40°+) slopes is expected. These are easily managed from above with ski cuts and by moving diagonally across the slope to avoid being caught up in your own loose snow avalanche. In forgiving terrain, these offer great opportunities to learn about moving snow. In, above, and below extreme terrain, they can be outright terrifying. Remember that radical terrain amplifies the overall risk.
Avalanche Problem #2
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
The Provo mountains have had a number of large avalanche cycles in January and February with many avalanches stepping down into early season or mid-December snow layering 3-8' deep. These avalanches were predominantly in the upper elevation (or wind loaded ridgelines in the mid-elevation) north through southeast facing slopes both along the Cascade ridgeline, Timpanogos, and in the upper American Fork drainages (Mill Canyon Peak environs).
These areas that avalanched remain susceptible to continued avalanching in the upper elevations that have seen significant snow and wind. The large avalanches in the UFO Bowls north of Aspen Grove (from the 3rd week of February) did not seem to have enough of a new load yesterday but will be something to watch with additional storms this week.
Note: assessing these slopes individually requires a high degree of skill and experience and risk....and may still produce some uncertainty. A very conservative approach is required if traveling in the avalanche terrain of Provo.
Additional Information
Cornices remain huge and unruly. Avoid being on or beneath these large waves of snow. PC Bombard.
General Announcements
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This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. 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.
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