The avalanche danger is generally LOW today. Continue to anticipate sluffing on steep slopes. An increase in wind speeds later this afternoon and tonight may form some fresh drifts that could be sensitive to the weight of a person.
Special AnnouncementsSnowbird will be conducting some explosive testing around the ski resort that may require a brief road closure in Little Cottonwood Canyon above the White Pine parking lot. Traffic may be stopped for a few minutes between tests but these will be very minor delays.
We have a bunch of great education events coming up this week:
UAC Forecaster Drew Hardesty will be giving a free talk in Park City Tuesday night, discussing how to matching terrain to snowpack conditions. More info HERE.
UAC Forecaster Evelyn Lees will lead our Women's Backcountry 101 introductory avalanche class. A Thursday evening talk, followed by a Saturday field day. For more information and to sign up, go HERE.
UAC Forecaster Brett Kobernik will do a free "Fireside Chat" at Black Diamond Thursday night which will include a seasonal snowpack review up to this point and discuss how to get into bigger terrain after persistent weak layers have been present. DETAILS HERE
Weather and SnowTemperatures are in the mid teens to low 20s in the upper terrain and winds are light and variable depending on location. The recent moderate speed winds have formed some drifts and crusts in the higher terrain but there is an abundance of "loud powder" if you are able to find areas that don't have old ski or sled tracks.
The phrase "loud powder" can be a clue to future snowpack stability. "Loud powder" is actually the state of the surface snow after it has deteriorated into a "faceted" snow grain form and/or often contains surface hoar as well. This snow condition "hisses" under your skis or snowboards like "ssshhhhhhhh" when you carve through it. It is also "slippery" underfoot when walking uphill with climbing skins. Anytime you note this on your travels, you should stop and log it in your memory as to where it is present as this can turn into a persistent weak layer which can be very dangerous once it gets buried with new snow.
If you are using normal backcountry caution today, it's most likely you won't come across any avalanche problems. Normal caution includes things like continuing to pay attention for the odd locations where a recent drift may pose a threat, watching steep and sustained slopes for the potential to sluff, and descending one person at a time - clearing the runnout zones at the bottom before the next person dives in.
If you are getting into steep, exposed terrain in thinner rocky areas, you should always anticipate the danger to be greater.
It looks like it will be a nice day up in the hills with a few clouds, mild temperatures and generally light winds. Ridgetop temperatures will get up into the mid 20s. Winds will become more northwest and increase into the moderate speed category tonight. A small storm system grazes northern Utah tonight into Tuesday and may produce a few snow showers and perhaps a few inches of snow in the more northern areas. A more potent cold front could give us a better snow refresher on Thursday.
Go to http://www.backcountry.com/utah-avalanche-center to get tickets from our partners at Park City, 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.
