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Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Evelyn Lees
Issued by Evelyn Lees on
Sunday morning, February 26, 2017

The avalanche danger is mostly LOW this morning, but will quickly increase to MODERATE as winds pick up this afternoon, and could reach CONSIDERABLE along the highest ridge lines by evening. Once the fresh wind drifts start to form, stay off of and out from under steep wind drifted slopes. Finish your powder day on wind-sheltered slopes.

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Special Announcements

The CAIC finished their report on the recent snowbike fatality. It's a story worth reading. It was a complex situation, with 3 separate avalanches occurring. A take home is they had airbags and didn't think they needed beacons. A beacon, probe, and shovel are still essential gear, even with an air bag.

Weather and Snow

You can squeeze in one more epic morning of powder, before increasing winds this afternoon spike the avalanche danger. Skies mostly clear this morning, and temperatures powder-preserving cold – from 5 below to 10 above zero. The winds cooperated, remaining light overnight, with most stations averaging less than 10 mph from the southwest. Speeds across the highest 11,000’ peaks increased for a few hours during the night, averaging 30 to 35 mph, with occasional gusts to 45 mph.

Recent Avalanches

Yesterday, people were able to trigger sluffs in the backcountry, but they needed steeper slope angles for the snow to get moving. The resorts reported both soft slabs and sluffs, mostly requiring explosives, and they were generally small. In the windier Ogden area mountains, a few shallow soft slabs were reported from backcountry and resort control work, especially along the higher ridge lines.

A fresh, new wind slab cracking and breaking on approach yesterday. Brian Smith photo

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Avalanche Problem #1
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

The overnight bump in wind speeds created a few new soft wind drifts along the highest ridges and peaks that will be easy to trigger this morning. But once the winds pick up this afternoon, the low-density snow will swiftly form sensitive drifts. The timing for the southwesterly winds to increase is by 2 or 3 pm at the latest, so be ready for rapidly changing conditions, especially at the upper elevations. Keep an eye out for plumes off the peaks and ridges, drifting where you are, or your tracks filling in. Once the winds pick up where you are, get off steep slopes and avoid the terrain below the blowing snow, as natural avalanches could occur. Head to wind sheltered terrain to finish your day – by going to a different aspect or dropping to a lower elevation.

Avalanche Problem #2
Normal Caution
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description

Loose Dry Sluffs

Dry, loose sluffs can still be triggered today on steep slopes. In continuously steep terrain, a sluff can take you for a ride and debris piles could end up deep enough to bury a person in a terrain trap. Careful slope cuts can keep the sluffs below you instead of above.

Loose Wet Sluffs

Sun and warmer temperatures may heat the snow, making it easier to trigger sluffs. If the snow becomes warm and sensitive, avoid the steep sunny slopes and head to a different aspect or lower angle terrain. The snow on lower elevation shady slopes may also warm if we get just the right amount of high thin clouds.

Cornices

“It is difficult to tell where the earth ends and the snow starts” (Brian Smith). So stay well back from the edges of those large cornices and avoid travel beneath them.

Additional Information

The next cold snow producer will arrive tonight. Ahead, high pressure this morning will bring mostly clear skies and light winds, with temperatures warming to near 10 at 10,000’ and into the mid 20s at 8000’.

Changes will start early this afternoon – with the southwesterly winds increasing, and averaging 15 to 20 mph, with gusts to 25 at the mid elevations by evening. The highest peaks could average 35 mph, with gusts to 50. Snow will develop late tonight and continue at times through Tuesday, with 8 to 16” possible. A rapid warming trend on Thursday and Friday will end the cold

General Announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

To get help in an emergency (to request a rescue) in the Wasatch, call 911. Be prepared to give your GPS coordinates or the run name. Dispatchers have a copy of the Wasatch Backcountry Ski map.

Backcountry Emergencies. It outlines your step-by-step method in the event of a winter backcountry incident.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry, but no one is hurt and you do not need assistance, please notify the nearest ski area dispatch to avoid a needless response by rescue teams. Thanks.

EMAIL ADVISORY If you would like to get the daily advisory by email you will need to subscribe here.

DAWN PATROL Hotline updated daily by 5-530am - 888-999-4019 option 8.

TWITTER Updates for your mobile phone - DETAILS

UDOT canyon closures: LINK TO UDOT, or on Twitter, follow @UDOTavy, @CanyonAlerts or @AltaCentral

Utah Avalanche Center mobile app - Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools.

Powderbird Helicopter Skiing - Blog/itinerary for the day

Lost or Found something in the backcountry? - http://nolofo.com/

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To those skinning uphill at resorts: it is critical to know the resort policy on uphill travel. You can see the uphill travel policy for each resort here.

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you shop from Backcountry.com or REI: Click this link for Backcountry.com or this link to REI, shop, and they will donate a percent of your purchase price to the UAC. Both offer free shipping (with some conditions) so this costs you nothing!

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on ebay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your ebay account here and click on ebay gives when you buy or sell. You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
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