We are sad to report that a 60-yr-old skier was killed by a large avalanche Sunday in backcountry near Pebble Creek ski resort outside of Pocatello, Idaho. This is not in our forecast zone, but we will assist in the investigation.
We know there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the Coronavirus, but the Utah Avalanche Center is planning to continue issuing regular avalanche forecasts into April.
Uphill Travel at Ski Areas - Some resorts will be offering limited uphill access but not all do. Current info about uphill access from Ski Utah is posted
HERE.
Skies are partly cloudy with continued southerly winds averaging 20-25mph with gusts to 35.
Mountain temperatures are in the upper 20s up high, the low to mid-30s down low. Overnight lows were around midnight and we've been warming slowly since then.
Snow surface conditions are a mixed bag of crusts (even temperature crusts up to 9500' on northerly facing slopes) with a few patches of soft dense powder here and there. The sun crusts will soften and break down earlier today than the previous couple of days. Still, it's not really about the skiing and riding, though, is it?
For today, we'll again see increasing clouds by early afternoon and perhaps a trace of snow by dinner. Southerly winds will blow 25-30mph; temps will again rise to the mid-40s at the mid elevations. The stalled-out storm battering California with snow will soon move inland. These types of storms are fraught with uncertainty regarding trajectory and extent of precipitation; that said, we might expect 5-10" accumulating by later Friday. At least cooler air and diminishing winds arrive tonight and tomorrow.
Mark White photos of current snow surface conditions (some areas scoured down to the Feb 7 Dickens crust)
No reports of avalanche activity yesterday.
