UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!
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Observation: Notch Mountain

Observation Date
1/17/2023
Observer Name
Staples and Davis
Region
Uintas » Notch Mountain
Location Name or Route
Notch Mountain
Weather
Weather Comments
Sun in the morning. Snowing in the afternoon. No wind. See photo below of the truck at the end of the day.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Characteristics Comments
Conditions can't get much better than they are now.
Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
Spotted on recent slide (photo below) on the east side of Notch on an east facing slope. It appears to maybe be several slides, but they may just be a sluff of new snow that entrained more as it moved downhill.
Comments
We dug on a west facing slope at 10,200' that is shaded by trees, thus it acts more like a NW facing slope. Total snow depth was 235 cm (7' 8"). This is a very common snow depth in the Uintas now.
The old November facets have gained hardness (now 1F-) and strength.
Moving forward, future avalanche issues will be in the new snow. When winds return, they will have plenty of snow to move and will easily transport such low density powder.
Notice how the new snow cracked under the track which was super close to the pit wall. We weren't worried about new snow instabilities, but it demonstrates what we'll have to watch for with each storm and wind event.
no
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low
Coordinates