Most terrain has a LOW danger. Outlier concerns include wet and dry loose snow avalanches, being on the wrong side of a cornice fall, or triggering a thin shallow persistent slab in the mid elevation shady terrain.
Special AnnouncementsOn Thursday evening & Saturday, Drew will be leading an advanced avalanche workshop. This will focus on advanced terrain assessment, matching terrain to specific avalanche conditions, examining the 7 avalanche types, and combining on-the-fly-strength, structure, & energy assessments to make real-time Go or No-Go decisions in the backcountry. This is a great next step for a recent Level 1 or BC 101 or a great refresher for someone who has backcountry experience & realizes that next Saturday is most likely going to be a warm, sunny non-epic powder day, perfect for working on skills to put to work when the storm cycles resume. http://utahavalanchecenter.
Weather and SnowIn the mountains anyway, skies are clear, temps are in the upper 20s and winds are west to northwesterly blowing 20-25mph with gusts to 30. These are good conditions to go out for what Hanscom and Kelner used to call a SuperTour. Their books, Wasatch Tours Volume 1-3, written in the 90s, are must reads for any Wasatch backcountry enthusiast and filled with anecdote and history. Not long ago, I remember reading their section on Stairs Gulch of Big Cottonwood Canyon, "Stairs Gulch is almost never entered in winter." How times have changed.
Recent AvalanchesNone.
As we like to say, Low danger doesn't mean No danger. You have to match the terrain to the avalanche problem...and while most terrain has a stable snowpack, even a loose dry or loose wet sluff that knocks you off your feet or ride in 'no-fall' terrain can be curtains. Both loose wet and loose dry point releases are possible in the steepest terrain, though manageable and predictable through timing (wet) and wisely executed terrain management. Slide for life conditions exist in the steepest south facing terrain and an axe or whippet may be advisable.
In the mean-time, particularly in the thinner snowpack areas, our December snowfall slowly rots away from the bottom up and the top down. Surface hoar continues to grow like weeds, and we count our days until the next storm cycle.
We'll have another carbon copy day of clear skies, warm temps and increasing westerly winds. The west to southwesterly winds are expected to increase tomorrow ahead of a weak cold front early Thursday morning. The front is probably good for a couple of inches of snow, but not likely enough to sweep the valleys clean. Friday is an in-between day ahead of a colder system for late weekend. More info on this in this afternoon's mountain weather forecast.
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
