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Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Sunday morning, December 27, 2015

The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE on slopes around 35 degrees in steepness in the mid and upper elevations that face west, north and east. Human triggered avalanches are likely in that terrain. The danger is much less on the more southerly facing slopes and the lower elevations.

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Weather and Snow

Storm totals from the Christmas day storm are about two feet of low density powder. Temperatures were quite cold on Saturday with highs only in the single digits. There was some moderate speed northeast wind Saturday night which most likely stirred up the new snow a bit. Gusts were almost 30 mph along the ridges.

Recent Avalanches

Riders reported an "avalanche of fun" on Saturday but no real avalanches. That's because they stayed on low angle terrain and had a safe day of riding the deep powder.

There were a number of large human triggered avalanches triggered in other regions on Saturday though. We have very similar snowpack conditions to these other regions so it's safe to say that there is still potential to trigger something here on the Skyline.​

Below: Snowmobile triggered avalanche in the Uintas on Saturday - DETAILS HERE

Below: Skier triggered avalanche from over 200 feet away in the central Wasatch - DETAILS HERE

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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The snowpack is starting to stabilize but is definitely not to be trusted yet. The old weak faceted sugary snow at the bottom of the snowpack is still very capable of collapsing and producing deadly avalanches. This is the type of situation that makes me the most nervous. It's best to let it sit and settle for some more time before getting onto the steep slopes. Keep in mind that as you travel today you may not see any obvious signs of instability such as cracking or collapsing. Things are more stubborn right now but don't let the quiet snowpack lure you in. It's a trap.

Additional Information

Looks like another beautiful day out there today! We'll have mostly sunny skies and temperatures will warm up into the low 20s along the ridges. East and southeast wind will be light to moderate in speed. There is a small storm that will move through late Monday and Tuesday. As of now, it doesn't look like it will add much more than an inch or two of snow.

General Announcements

We will publish full detailed advisories Saturday and Sunday mornings by 7am. We will also be publishing basic avalanche danger ratings & info during the week.

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