UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Forecast for the Skyline Area Mountains

Brett Kobernik
Issued by Brett Kobernik on
Friday morning, March 29, 2024
The overall avalanche danger is MODERATE on the Skyline today.
This means HUMAN TRIGGERED AVALANCHES ARE POSSIBLE.
The new snow may be sensitive to people today. On the other hand, it may be stable. Look for recent avalanches and watch for cracking within the new snow. These are indicators of unstable snow.
Pay attention out there today, stay on conservative terrain and you'll have a safe day of riding.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
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Weather and Snow
Current Conditions: Wow. The first wave of this storm system exceeded my expectations. We picked up 8 to 14 inches of new snow. The central Skyline picked up the most which is not uncommon with a flow from the northwest. Wind has been very light. Temperatures are in the low to mid 20s. Riding conditions should be as good as it gets.
Mountain Weather: Today we'll see clouds and periods of snow. I'm not expecting much more than a few inches. The wind will shift around and come from the southwest. It looks like it'll stay pretty light in speed. High temperatures should get near 30˚F. We'll have more periods of snow into Monday which could add up to another foot.
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Avalanche Problem #1
New Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
I am a little unsure of how stable the new snow will be today.
The good: There was basically no wind to blow the new snow around. Wind is always a big contributor to slab formation and unstable conditions so without any wind, we won't see huge new drifts and slabs.
The bad: The new snow stacked up VERY fast. This often produces unstable conditions.
Overall I'm not expecting things to be very dangerous. However, you'll want to treat this new snow as guilty until proven innocent. Look for recent avalanches. Use small steep test slopes to see if you can initiate any cracking. Cut above other tracks to see if you get the snow to crack out. Use caution today and choose conservative terrain to stay safe.
General Announcements
This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.