LOW danger.
Weather and SnowSkies are partly to mostly cloudy. Winds are south to southwesterly along the ridgelines, blowing 15-20 with gusts to 30. Riding conditions? See below -
It just keeps getting better and better. The few left wandering around the alpine are taking ski-crampons and ski pole/ice-axe adjuncts (BD Whippets) to maintain their safety, if not their sanity. One long time observer noted he’d not remembered skiing intact surface hoar feathers on corn in November. Noting the melting out southerly aspects, he wrote, “I kept my skis on the whole way as a stubborn gesture and made it barely.” But that’s just the southerly aspects. The sheltered northerly aspects offer patches of deteriorating hard wind slab and soft recrystallized powder. There are a couple die-hards who live in upper BCC that ski on circa mid-90s skis and leather boots who have been raving about the conditions.
The aforementioned "recrystalized" powder, weakening by the day, is becoming weak enough to sluff with some provocation. Not enough to be an avalanche concern today, but I suspect it'll be a player with the next storm.
With the ridge axis to the east and a good Pacific storm spinning in the Gulf, we'll have to look for magic in the simple things. For now, it'll be enough for the increasing winds and few minor disturbances over the next few days to "mix out" the inversion. Temps in the mountains today will be in the mid to upper 30s. Southwesterly winds will blow 25-30 with gusts to 40.
The few minor disturbances may produce a flake or two tonight along the Idaho border and perhaps a touch of rain and snow on Friday. Models depict much stronger winds Saturday into Sunday ahead of what looks to be a pretty potent, if quick hitting storm for late Sunday into Monday. Keep your fingers crossed.
If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.
Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033)
Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017)
Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150)
Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30: 888-999-4019 option 8.
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This advisory is produced by the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. It describes only general avalanche conditions and local variations always exist. Specific terrain and route finding decisions should always be based on skills learned in a field-based avalanche class.
I will update this forecast tomorrow. Thanks for calling.
