Join me Tuesday night at the Park City library to discuss the state-of-the-state of the snowpack... black tie optional :)
Under partly cloudy skies, temperatures register in the teens and low 20's. South and southwest winds have been relatively well behaved and blow in the low 20's even 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, but got Windy Peak up and running yesterday. Above is 24 hour data from Trail Lake (9945') along with wind data from Windy Peak ( 10,662').
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.