Little Cottonwood Canyon Backcounrty Closure is in effect for the terrain on the North side of the canyon from Lisa Falls through Little Superior all day. Terrain South of White Pine Trailhead and North side terrain from Cardiff peak up to Grizzly Gulch is open. This closure will probably last through tomorrow morning at 0800, with a full North side canyon closure expected tonight.
Deer Valley will be doing explosive work tomorrow, so please stay out of Empire and Lady Morgan areas. Thank you.
Discount lift tickets for Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Solitude, Sundance, Snowbasin, Powder Mountain, and Beaver Mountain are now available, donated by the resorts to benefit the Utah Avalanche Center. Details and order information here. These make a great holiday gift and all proceeds go towards paying for avalanche forecasting and education!
A strong, moist southwest flow will keep snow levels high today ahead of the afternoon cold front. Overnight, the Provo area mountains received very impressive amounts of water, in the form of rain and.\/or snow. The rain/snow line vacillated between 7,000 and 8,000 feet.
Aspen Grove: 1.5" of snow, 3.6" of water (mostly rain)
Bunnels (8800') : 9" of snow, 1.9" water in that snow
Sundance (7500') : 6" snow, 2" water in that snow
Currently, heavy snow is falling at the upper elevations in the mountains, especially in areas favored by southwest flownew at, while rain continues to fall at the lower elevations. The southwesterly winds have been moderate to strong for over 24 hours, averaging 20 to 30 mph, with the high ridge lines reaching 40 mph averages, gusting in the 60s.
No new observations from the Provo area mountains. Yesterday’s backcountry avalanche activity in the Salt Lake/Park City mountains included 2 natural hard slab avalanches in West Monitor, triggered by natural cornice fall. These were about 50’ wide, running full track. Ski cuts and explosives at resorts released soft and hard slabs up to 2 feet deep, with the slabs becoming larger and more connected as the day went on.
Mark White photos - West Monitor