UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!
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Observation: Uintas

Observation Date
12/23/2019
Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Region
Uintas
Location Name or Route
Whitney Basin
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Wind Direction
Southeast
Wind Speed
Moderate
Weather Comments
Overcast skies, slightly warmer temperatures at the trailhead than in town and winds still light to moderate from a generally south direction in the mid and lower elevations.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Dense Loose
Wind Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments
Snow conditions still holding up despite all the wind and warmer temps on the north side, but many south facing slopes have been stripped clean from steady winds off the ridge lines. Nice dense settled snow in the protected areas away from the wind.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
The steady and gusty winds have changed the landscape with many east and southeast facing slopes stripped down to dirt along the higher ridge lines. The snow pack structure still warrants a conservative approach, even though I'm not observing many red flags and the snow pack is slowly adjusting.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #1 Comments
Feels like the trend is moving towards a more stable snow pack, with mixed results in snow pits and no recent avalanche activity that I have observed. However, the snow pack structure is still in question where the slab being more dense is sitting on top of the less dense weak snow near the ground. Not sure if the upcoming storm will be enough to change things unless the snow stacks up and we get some strong winds. Nice to see riders are using good terrain choices and avoiding steep north facing slopes.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
Even with the warmer temperatures, the steady winds have been moving snow around, stripping some slopes clean and filling in others. I did not observe any sensitive wind slabs in my travels and also did not test any slopes where these would have formed.
Comments
Driving up the highway today I could clearly see how the face of Double Hill was getting worked over by the steady winds the last couple of days. A few days ago Double Hill was mostly filled in with some small patches of vegetation showing, but today it had been stripped down to the dirt in many places. I noticed some south facing slopes near the ridge lines are back down to bare ground from these winds. All this snow being moved around is landing on the north side of the compass where the weaker snow is. Would suspect some of these north facing slopes are getting overloaded and might be hanging in the balance waiting for a trigger?
Out of the wind in sheltered areas nice settled snow can be found with good fun riding and turning.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate