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Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Trent Meisenheimer
Issued by Trent Meisenheimer on
Saturday morning, February 5, 2022
The avalanche danger is LOW.
Sluffing is possible in steep northerly terrain, and pockets of wind slabs exist in isolated areas. Risk is inherent in mountain travel, and getting caught in a small avalanche in radical terrain could lead to disaster.
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Special Announcements
Thanks to the generous support of our local resorts and Ski Utah, discount lift tickets are now available. Support the UAC while you ski at the resorts this season. Tickets are available here.
Weather and Snow
Over the weekend, we will stay in a dry northwest flow as a pair of troughs move overhead. These troughs will usher in some clouds and colder temps and, unfortunately, no new snow. Current mountain temperatures are in the 15-20 °F range. Winds have picked up in the past few hours and are now blowing northwest at speeds of 5-15 mph across the upper elevations.
Expect partly cloudy skies today with temperatures rising into the upper 20's to low 30's °F. Winds are forecast to increase throughout the day, with the strongest winds later today and into the evening. Northwest winds could blow 20-30 mph, gusting into the 30's and 40's across the upper elevations.
Recent Avalanches
Yesterday one rider was caught and carried in a dry loose avalanche on a steep northerly facing slope Lanes Leap in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Luckily nobody was injured. Thanks for the great write-up.
Greg Gagne's patented Week in Review has been published. You can find it HERE> The teaser is below.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Overall, the avalanche danger is LOW, and the snow is mostly stable. In isolated areas, you may encounter:
  • Fast and long-running sluffs in the weak and cohesionless surface snow on steep slopes on shady aspects. In confined and sustained terrain features, the sluffs can pile up deeply, especially in terrain traps. Getting caught in one could be serious in consequential terrain.
  • Pockets of fresh wind drifted snow along exposed ridges and in open terrain at the mid and upper elevations. Although drifts will be shallow and not very wide, wind drifts may be sensitive if they have formed on top of weaker snow underneath. Shooting cracks are a good indicator of wind-blown snow.
Evaluate each slope and look for any signs of instability, such as cracking in fresh wind drifts or long-running sluffs in steep terrain.
General Announcements
Who's up for some free avalanche training? Get a refresher, become better prepared for an upcoming avalanche class, or just boost your skills. Go to https://learn.kbyg.org/ and scroll down to Step 2 for a series of interactive online avalanche courses produced by the UAC.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ
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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