Discounted lift tickets - Thanks to the generous support of our Utah ski resorts and Ski Utah, all proceeds from these ticket sales go towards paying for avalanche forecasting and education! Get your tickets
here.
Looking to improve your avalanche skills? We are offering a
Backcountry 101: Introduction to Avalanches class at Powder Mountain February 14-15.
Forecaster Trent Meisenheimer will be giving a talk on the "State of The Wasatch Snowpack" at the Black Diamond Retail Store in Millcreek - Feburary 13th, from 7:00-8:30 pm.
Skies are clear.
Winds increased around midnight and are blowing 10-15mph from the west northwest. The highest anemometers are spinning 30mph with gusts to 35.
Mountain temps are in the single digits up high and at the trailheads and in the mountain basins. Spruces in mid-BCC is a lonely 1°F.
For today, we'll see something of a dry cold front, ushering in cooler temps and some cloud cover but that's about it. The next storm arrives on Valentine's Day but it hints at falling apart; we'll see.
Skiing and riding conditions are good with fast and easy travel in the backcountry, although some southerly aspects will be crusted this morning. Yesterday it was nice to have some blue in the sky with - as observer Quinn Graves described it - everything "candy coated" in rime - the peaks, the trees, etc.
Graves, Torrey, others finding beauty in upper Maybird of LCC
We are starting to see more evidence of last week's avalanche cycle, extending from Provo north to the Bountiful Sessions mountains. These appear to be running on last weekend's snow surfaces or within the storm snow and hundreds of feet wide at the mid and upper elevations of all aspects. I'll start to put a photo gallery together today.
We only heard about one human triggered avalanche yesterday. This 4-6' deep and 300' wide hard slab released at a distance from an airblast (explosive suspended above the snow, usually on a piece of bamboo). This was on a steep, but unsupported southeast facing slope at Snowbird at 10,600'. (photo below).
Other avalanche teams reported plenty of explosive testing - even in rarely skiied terrain - with no results.