UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Sunday morning, April 14, 2024
Human triggered slides are UNLIKELY and avalanche danger is generally LOW, but remember... LOW avy danger ain't NO avy danger-
As we consider bigger objectives, let's keep in mind that even a small avalanche can ruin our day if we get knocked off our feet in steep, technical, committing terrain.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
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Special Announcements
Today, Sunday, April 14th is the last of our regularly scheduled daily forecasts. I will post a general advisory tomorrow with some tips to follow as we segue through the spring and early summer.
Gear up for next season or snag deals to close out this season while supporting the UAC’s efforts. Your participation directly funds the state's avalanche forecasting, awareness, and education programs. Check out the auction found here!
Weather and Snow
Nowcast- Clear skies overhead allowed cooler air to filter through the region which helped knock temperatures down overnight. However, it's still rather balmy with most automated weather stations clocking in right around freezing, while a few protected sites register in the low 40's. After a brief break Saturday afternoon, winds blowing from the south ramped up overnight and hum along the ridges in the 30's and 40's. The snow is taking a hit and the window for good riding and turning opportunities is shrinking. South facing slopes offer a crop o' corn, ready for harvesting first thing this morning. If you're on the hunt for coolish pow... it's done until tomorrows storm starts stacking up fresh snow.
Forecast- Look for mostly sunny skies this morning, but an approaching storm system on the doorstep delivers increasing clouds as the day wares on. High temperatures moderate somewhat, only reaching into the mid 40's, but winds blowing to 40 mph from the south are gonna be a nuisance near the high peaks.
Futurecast- Unsettled weather slides into the area overnight, delivering a decent shot of snow to kick off the work week. Snow showers intensify late Monday and I'm thinking 4"-8"... perhaps up to 10" of snow stacks up in a few favored, North Slope locations by about dinnertime Monday evening. Partly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures return for midweek.
Johanna Kelly is a rippin' sledder, an avy forecaster for Snowbird, but more important... an overall amazing person. Here, she displays her sled prowess near Mirror Lake Highway Thursday afternoon. JK and her partner in life, UAC forecaster extraordinaire, Dave Kelly, shared a field day near Bald Mountain and have a great trip report found HERE.
A celebrity sighting!!! Ted Scrogggin was in the Gold Hill zone on Friday and says... "There are a few slivers of cold dry snow on north facing slopes, but any subtle change in aspect and the snow quickly turns to either damp or a melt freeze crust."
Recent Avalanches
Chad Brackelsberg and Andy Paradis were in the Hayden zone yesterday and noted... "snow below rocky areas also had developed some large pinwheels from warming. One was at least 4' tall." You can find their trip report HERE.
No other significant avalanches have been reported over the last few days. Archived avalanche activity and trip reports are listed HERE.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
The snowpack is deep, it's homogeneous, it's happy in its own skin, and it's generally bomb dot com. Yeah... avy danger is straight-forward and there's plenty of room to roam on a go-anywhere base.
A couple things to consider as we stretch our wings-
Cornices, like these overhanging monsters on Bald Mountain, are ginormous and may break further back than you might expect or even naturally. As the mercury continues its uphill migration today, we'll definitely wanna give these huge boxcar pieces of snow a wide berth.
As the surface starts to become damp and mushy, you'll wanna think about getting off of and out from under steep, sun-baked slopes. And remember... a small avalanche dribbling off of cliff bands may trigger a larger slide like in the image above from Haystack Mountain earlier this week. You know you've overstayed your welcome when the snow turns to wet glop or it's becoming unsupportable.
Additional Information
The Uinta weather station network was upgraded this summer and all that real-time info is found HERE. Simply click on "western Uinta" tab and then "weather stations" tab.

We are always looking for snow and avalanche observations or just general riding conditions. So... if you see something, say something. You can reach me directly at [email protected] or 801-231-2170.
Also, if you're looking for more avy education opportunities for yourself, your crew, or your club please don't hesitate to reach out to me and we'll find a presentation, class, or clinic for ya!
General Announcements

Issued at 0330 on Saturday, April 14th this forecast will be updated Monday, April 15th, 2024 with general avy information.
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.