Please join me on Friday Dec. 13th at 6:30 for a free avalanche awareness presentation in partnership with Wasatch County SAR. It's guaranteed to be entertaining, informative, and I'll share safety tips that allow you to rip powder safely and come home to your families at the end of the day.... pretty good deal... huh?

The snowpack has taken a hard hit the past two weeks and continues shrinking right before our eyes. The bad news is... a midweek storm has its sights set on central and southern Utah, but I don't think it's got enough juice to impact our zone. The badder news is... in the absence of additional snow, our shallow pack loses its strength, transforming into a very weak, sugary mess. This makes for a potentially dangerous setup once winter decides to return from its hiatus.

Unfortunately, there is no big pattern change in sight for the Uinta zone.

Ted was around Whitney Basin last week and found upper elevation, shady terrain holding snow from the early and mid October storms. While the other half of the compass offers late Autumn trail riding.

It'll be a minute or two before we're riding, but in the mean time here's a few things to remember:

1. Hitting rocks and stumps is a real danger. Don't end your season before it starts with an injury from hitting one of these obstacles.
2. Avalanches are a real possibility. It doesn't matter if you are hiking, hunting, skiing, etc., be prepared with rescue gear and a partner. Many people have died during early season snow storms. Listen to this podcast episode about a bad day in November 2011 when many avalanches were triggered and pro skier Jamie Pierre died.
3. Ski resorts all have different uphill travel policies. Some are closed, like Snowbird, others are open. These closed resorts can be great places to get in a little skiing especially in you know of a rock free slope, but it should be treated as backcountry terrain. More info HERE but check with each resort for the latest info.

Click here for real time Uinta winds, temperatures, and snow depth.