A thin band of clouds parked across the region overnight and temperatures are currently in the teens. West and southwest winds bumped into the 30's and 40's yesterday, but relaxed last night and currently blow 10-20 mph along the high peaks. Recent storms have pasted the region, laying down a nice coat of early season white paint. Riding and turning conditions are about the best they've been in years with snow depths across the range averaging just over 3'.
We are working to get the entire Uinta weather network back online. In the meantime, above is 24 hour data from Trail Lake (9945') along with nearby wind data.
Meanwhile on the North Slope, Ted found excellent riding conditions yesterday and avoided the avy danger by riding lower elevation terrain which had no old snow prior to the big Thanksgiving storm. More on his travels
here.
And Ben was on the south end of the range near Duchesne Ridge and reports good coverage and riding.
Plowing is done on Mirror Lake Highway, but Wolf Creek Pass is still open. However, just 'cause you can see your rig parked near Wolf Creek, doesn't mean the terrain you're choosing to ride is good to go.
Remember- this is the time of year where most of us get tricked thinking there isn't enough snow to avalanche. Unfortunately, this is also the type of setup when most close calls and accidents occur. If you are getting out and about, be prepared for your own self rescue. Wear and know how to use an avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe.
Always a keen eye, Ted saw this Yamaha Hill avalanche from the highway near Evanston on his way to work on Tuesday. Breaking 6' deep and 250' wide, this slide was most likely triggered Monday, either low on the slope or remotely from the ridge. This avalanche clearly illustrates the type of avalanche dragon we're dealing with on slopes facing the north half of the compass which harbor, weak snow near the ground. More details on this slide are found
here.