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Forecast for the Ogden Area Mountains

Evelyn Lees
Issued by Evelyn Lees for
Saturday, January 5, 2013

Most slopes have a LOW avalanche danger today. However, sluffing will occur as you travel on the steep, shady slopes at the mid and upper elevations and also on steep sunny slopes as the day heats up. Avoid all hard old wind drifts on steep slopes.

Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements

There are still a few spots left for the Women's Backcountry 101. A Thursday evening talk, followed by a Saturday field day. 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 Snow

A string of beautiful mountain days continues – clear skies (need I add clean air?), very light winds and moderate temperatures are all reasons to grab a bus and head up high. The only single digit readings this morning are in the canyon bottoms – once you get out of these cold pockets, temperatures are generally near 20 at the mid elevations, with mid-teens along the high ridges. Winds are from a westerly direction, averaging less than 15 mph, with gusts rarely over 20 mph.

Steep sunny slopes are crusted this morning, but shady slopes have a deepening layer of soft, loose facets over a supportable base.

Recent Avalanches

Loose facet sluffs on shady slopes and damp sluffs on sunny slopes were the only backcountry avalanche activity reported yesterday. Resort explosive work released a few old hard wind slabs at upper elevations.

Mark White photo - No Name, Park City ridgeline.

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Avalanche Problem #1
Wet Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The loose snow sluffs are the most widespread avalanche concern today. These sluffs are just large enough to catch and carry you, with the greatest danger in the ride itself - being dragged through trees or over a cliff. This weak surface snow is most widespread on steep, shady slopes of all elevations.

Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Even with a LOW danger, on slopes steeper than 35 degrees always be thinking and defensively planning. Avalanche danger generally increases with elevation and steepness. Today:

  • Avoid the isolated hard, old wind drifts that could still crack out beneath you, and send you for a ride on steep slopes, mostly along the high elevation ridgelines
  • As the day heats up, the snow on steep sunny slopes could be released as a damp sluffs.
  • The buried mid pack weak layers seem dormant for the moment. They may be out of sight, but they should not out of mind – on steep, radical terrain, include the possibility of a slab avalanche in your defensive planning.
Additional Information

Utah is stranded in a Sargasso sea of high pressure – resulting in another consistent day of sunny skies and light winds. High temperatures today will be near 30 at 8,000’ and in the low 20s along the high ridgelines. The westerly winds will remain light, generally less than 15 mph, with the highest peaks gusting in the low 20s. There is a possible escape from the doldrums around next Wednesday, with strong southwesterly winds ahead of a fairly dry, but strong cold front forecast for Thursday.

General Announcements

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.

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