UDOT Avalanche forecaster Craig Patterson was tragically killed in an avalanche Thursday afternoon. Our preliminary accident report can be found here.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Craig Patterson will take place Thursday, April 18th at 10am at the Albion Grill, Alta. Photos of Craig are welcome. In lieu of gifts or flowers, please contribute to the Craig Patterson Memorial Fund at any Key Bank. Or checks can be sent to the Craig Patterson Memorial Fund 520 Crestview Dr Park City, UT 84098.

(http://craigpattersonmemories.blogspot.com/) was created by a friend for folks to share their thoughts and memories. Something Craig's wife Renae and daughter can read.

My friend Tim wrote this from Glacier Bay years ago, though re-reading it now reminds me of our lost colleague Craig Patterson. Much of his heart was in Alaska, too.

“We camped on a gravel slope below White Thunder Ridge, and we might have gotten some sleep were it not for the damn Northern Lights, which arced across an ebony starfield like green smoke interspersed with dozens of red lightning bolts running in ultra-slow motion. All the while, the sound of calving ice rumbled off the ridge above. It was like having the whole damn philharmonic orchestra come over to play Beethoven for you at midnight. The mindless and ungrateful go to sleep so they can rise up in the morning fully rested and spiritually impoverished.”

We are all in this journey together; we’ve either lost someone or will lose someone down the road. It’s the lesson we share of impermanence and a reminder to be grateful for each day that we have with the ones we love. Lose some more sleep tonight, friends - remember that we live charmed lives; remember that always.

This will be our last scheduled daily avalanche advisory of the season. We'll issue intermittent advisories as conditions warrant through the spring. We'd like to thank everyone for their support this season. We couldn't do this without the support of our non-profit Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center with Paul Diegel as the Executive Director. We've had much support from our world class mountain resorts, UDOT, our many pro observers, and, of course, you - skiers and riders, snowshoers, and snowmobilers, all passionate about the Greatest Snow on Earth. Thanks.

Skies are partly to mostly cloudy in the wake of yesterday's cold front, though the clouds should thin out as the day wears on. Storm totals are 3-6" in the Cottonwoods and Park City mountains, with a trace to two in Provo and Ogden. The northwesterly winds remain moderate to strong with most anemometers blowing 20-25mph with gusts to 30. The most exposed ridgelines still suffer speeds in the 40-45mph range with gusts into the 50s and 60s. The wind speeds should lose some steam by the afternoon as well.