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Forecast for the Provo Area Mountains

Drew Hardesty
Issued by Drew Hardesty for
Tuesday, December 4, 2012

We have localized areas of MODERATE for human triggered avalanches today. Hard but shallow wind slabs are scattered across the higher elevations but most likely found on steep north through east facing slopes. Continue to ride one at a time and maintain good communication with your partners.

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Special Announcements

I want to single out our Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center in general and Paul Diegel and Devin Dwyer in particular for all their efforts and hard work in all they do to keep the operation running. Thanks!

Weather and Snow

Skies are overcast ahead of a weak warm front currently affecting our region. Rain/snow lines will crest 9000' again, though I suspect precipitation will be light. Winds are southwesterly and 15-20mph with some gusts into the 30s. Sunday night's cold front added an inch or two of high density snow above about 9000'...though the the winds wreaked a bit of havoc. For those on skis or snowboards, wax for dust and pine needles.

Recent Avalanches

Despite no avalanche reported from the backcountry, in the Salt Lake mountains we heard of some isolated collapsing of some shallow hard slabs above the old weak late November recrystallized snow. Resort avalanche teams did notice one small wind driven natural along the periphery of their terrain along the Park City ridgeline; otherwise activity was relegated to some pockety slides up to a foot or two deep, but these were the exception and not the rule.

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

Isolated and pockety stiff and stubborn windslabs will be found in unusual areas from Sunday night's hurricane. Collapsing and hollow sounds on approach are clues for avoidance. I've never been much for hard slabs over a persistent weak layer. Most suspect terrain will be in the north through east facing slopes above say 9500'. Test snowpits will be inconclusive and non-representative in regards to loading patterns. By and large, there just enough of a new and consistent load to significantly affect the snowpack - hence the continued mostly stable conditions.

Additional Information

A weak warm front will be followed tomorrow night by a weak cold frontal boundary...with continued unsettled weather through the week and into the weekend. We'll have ridgetop temps in the upper 20s to low 30s. Southwesterly winds will be 20-25mph. Large scale trof to develop over the intermountain west by the weekend.

General Announcements

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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Wasatch Powderbird Guides does daily updates about where they'll be operating on this blog http://powderbird.blogspot.com/ .

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 also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email by clicking HERE

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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.

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