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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon for
Thursday, November 22, 2012

Terrain to avoid- steep, upper elevation, north facing slopes above treeline where fresh wind drifts are sensitive to the weight of a rider and there's an isolated possibility of human triggered avalanches breaking to the ground.

LOW avalanche danger exists on wind sheltered slopes, South facing terrain, and slopes that were bare prior to the early November storm.

Low
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High
Extreme
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Weather and Snow

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday's gusty southwest winds finally relaxed around noon, switching to the west and northwest and are currently blowing 15-25 mph along the ridges. We might've squeaked a flurry or two out of last night's cold front, but even that might be optimistic. Temperatures, however, have cooled slightly and are in the upper 20's. Most upper elevation terrain got worked by the recent winds, but despite the overall lack of snow coverage, riding conditions remain quite good, especially on wind sheltered, low angle, rock free meadows.

Ted Scroggin posted an excellent observation from his travels Tuesday. Click here to view.

Other observations can be found here.

Mirror Lake Highway is a mess and plowing is done for the season. Wolf Creek Pass remains open, but don't let the easy access to nearby terrain lull you into a false sense of security. Be prepared for your own self rescue. Wear and know how to use a beacon, shovel, and probe.

Wondering why last winter was so crazy? Click here to watch the 2011-12 Utah Winter Review... an excellent recap of last years conditions.

Recent Avalanches

No recent avalanche activity to report.

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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Yesterday's gusty winds were busy at work stripping what little snow is available on south facing terrain and depositing it to the leeward, shady, north facing slopes. Today's fresh drifts won't be particularly sensitive, but given the thin snow cover and all the obstacles barely hidden under this thin facade of snow, triggering even a small slide could have body beating consequences. Best to avoid any steep, wind loaded slope facing the north half of the compass.

Avalanche Problem #2
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The late October snow near the ground is growing weak and sugary, but our recent bout with warm temperatures is helping to slow down the faceting process. In other words... given the overall depth of our snow, we've seen a lot worse snowpack structure in past years. It's not green light conditions by any means and human triggered slides breaking into old snow are possible. In addition, the consequences of going for a ride in an avalanche would be miserable. I continue to be suspicious of steep, rocky, upper elevation north facing terrain where triggering a slide could result in a season ending injury.

Additional Information

Gusty west and northwest winds continue to diminish this morning as the storm system moves east. Skies will clear and high temperatures reach into the low 30's. A warming trend is forecast into the weekend with the next chance of snow slated for late Saturday night into next Monday. While it looks like this system just grazes the region, it will be enough new snow to help freshen things up a bit.

General Announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can call me directly at 801-231-2170, email [email protected], or email by clicking HERE

This is a great time of year to schedule a free avalanche awareness presentation for your group or club. You can contact me at 801-231-2170 or email [email protected]

Donate to your favorite non-profit –The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:00 AM Saturday November 24th.

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