Most areas have a LOW avalanche danger today. Don't let your guard down and keep in mind the possibility of sluffing of the snow surface as well as lingering wind slabs along the upper elevation ridgelines.
Special AnnouncementsThere are still a few spots left for the Women's Backcountry 101, For more information and to sign up, go to http://utahavalanchecenter.org/womens-backcountry-101
Just a couple slots left for our Snowbird Freeride Avalanche Summit, an avalanche and alpine skills seminar focused on steep lines, remote locations, and filming. Jan 6-8 2013. Details at http://utahavalanchecenter.org/2013-snowbird-freeride-avalanche-summit.
The Solitude beacon park is now operating. It is near the northwest corner of their lower parking lot.
Weather and SnowTemperatures are cold in the drainage bottoms but in the mid 20s along the ridges with light northerly winds. Upper elevation snow surfaces have some wind damage but mid elevations hold soft snow that is becoming weak through diurnal near surface faceting along with surface hoar formation. (article on diurnal near surface faceting)
Recent AvalanchesThe snow surface has loosened enough to produce some sluffing or minor loose snow avalanches when it gets disturbed. There were also some reports of minor cracking in recent wind drifts.
You're primary concern today will be in steep and sustained slopes where you may initiate a sluff or loose snow avalanche which could entrain enough snow to push you around. This is a very manageable problem. Perform slope cuts prior to diving into a slope and also glance over your shoulder occasionally on the decent to make sure you haven't initiated one of these.
Watch for lingering wind slabs that may still release under the weight of a person in the upper elevation terrain. These shouldn't pose much threat but you should be aware that they are still out there.
Persistent slabs are still worth a mention however we feel this issue is dormant at the time being unless you are getting into very steep and radical terrain in areas with a thinner overall snow depth of less than about 3 feet.
It'll be another great day out in the hills with lots of sun, temperatures into the mid to upper 20s and light northerly winds. This will persist through Saturday as well. The weather models are trying to agree on a solution for a storm system that may affect our area late Sunday. It looks like it will be a weaker splitting system that may produce some light snow but stay tuned. It looks like there will be another chance for snow along about Thursday or Friday of next week.
Go to http://www.backcountry.com/utah-avalanche-center to get tickets from our partners at Beaver Mountain, Canyons, Sundance, and Wolf Mountain. All proceeds benefit the Utah Avalanche Center.
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), Canyons Resort Dispatch (435-615-3322)
Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017)
Powder Mountain Ski Patrol Dispatch (801-745-3773 ex 123)
Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150)
Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30: 888-999-4019 option 8.
Twitter Updates for your mobile phone - DETAILS
Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.
Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE.
UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838
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 bysubmitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email by clicking HERE
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.
For a print version of this advisory click HERE.
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.
