SPECIAL NOTE: HALF OF ALL SKIER/SNOWBOARDER FATALITIES SINCE 99/00 HAVE OCCURRED WITH PEOPLE GOING OUT OF BOUNDS AT A SKI AREA.
Do you have the essential avalanche rescue gear (transceiver, probe, and shovel) and do you know how to use them? Watch this video to see how the three pieces of equipment work together.
Snowfall continues in the mountains.
With a 3-5" overnight, storm totals are 6-10" in the upper Cottonwoods and Park City ridgeline. Snow water equivalents are 0.4-0.8".
Snow conditions are thick and cakey where they haven't been either etched, eroded, or deposited into thick wind slabs.
Temperatures, as foretold, have risen during the storm and winds are shrieking even at the mid-elevations from the south and southwest. Hourly averages are 35mph with gusts to 50.
We'll see continued light snowfall today with continued strong southwest winds. Temps will be in the upper 20s.
The next storm arrives later Friday into Saturday.
Mark and Trent found a few gusts up near Bountiful Peak yesterday.
Many backcountry observers noted wind slab activity yesterday on many aspects, even well off the ridgelines. These soft and hard drifts were up to 2' deep...and some were triggered at a distance. Shooting cracks with great propagation were the rule.
While visibility was limited yesterday, I do have three notable avalanches to report:
- South Monitor Bowl naturalled to the ground estimated 3-6' deep and 350' wide. East northeast at 9800'.
- Sound of Music remotely triggered 2-3' deep and 250' wide. Easterly facing at 9200'. (pic below)
- Bountiful Peak area natural 2' deep and 150' wide. Northeast facing at 8200'.
(locations can be found here - https://wbsguide.com/index.php)
Special Public Announcement: IF you trigger an avalanche near one of the resorts, please call it in to the ski patrol so they don't have to put themselves in harms way to conduct a meaningless rescue.
As always, you can find all observations and recent avalanches
HERE. 
