Join us at our 2nd Annual Blizzard Ball
Ad
The National Forest Service Logo
icon-add Observation
Forecasts
Logan Ogden Salt Lake Provo Uintas Skyline Moab Abajos Weather Archives How to read the forecast
Observations & Avalanches
Submit Observation Observations Explorer All Observations Avalanches Fatalities Weather Place Names Map Archives
Education
Avalanche Class List UAC Class List Online Classes Resources and Tutorials Avalanche Awareness Develop Skills
Events
Store
About
Contact Who we are Core Values Staff Board of Directors Past Forecasters Sponsors Annual Reports Sign In
Blog
icon-add Observation
Donate / Join

Observation: Ephraim Canyon

Observation Date
1/23/2025
Observer Name
Kelly, Kelly
Region
Skyline » Ephraim Canyon
Location Name or Route
Ephraim Canyon
Weather
Sky
Clear
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Light winds blowing from the west. Cold temperatures, nearby weather station (10,349') was in the low teens °F.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Wind Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Snow was primarily sastrugi (wind sculpted like the red rocks), wind board (breakable wind crust) and stiff hard pillows of wind loaded snow in down wind areas. We saw lots of cornices and recent avalanche activity from sometime in the last 3-4 days failing on the downwind (primarily north-east) facing slopes. We did find a few protected meadows with good riding out of the wind zone.
Photo of sastrugi on the plateau
Photo of soft turns in a protected meadow
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Problem #1 Comments
Recent wind drifted snow avalanches from strong winds within the last 3-4 days.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Problem #2 Comments
Poor snowpack structure- needs more weight in the form of new snow or more wind to create more problems.
Snow Profile
Aspect
North
Elevation
9,700'
Slope Angle
12°
Comments
We dug on a north facing 12° slope at 9,700'. We found a total height of snow of 41" (105cm). The snowpack in this location was more supportable than some thinner lower elevation slopes where we would sink straight to the ground as soon as we stepped off the sleds. We were in a protected area that had received very little wind affect. We found 4-6mm chains of depth hoar (very weak sugary crystals ) near the ground and this was the layer of concern. In this location we did not have a very thick slab (thicker harder, more dense snow) over the top of the facets, we were on a very slight slope (12°) and we got no propagation with our extended column tests. The snowpack structure was poor, but without more weight in this location we didn't see any avalanches, or get any cracking, collapsing, or whumpfing.
Photo of snowpit showing weak sugary faceted snow near the ground.
Photo looking at the weak sugary faceted snow.
Photo (zoomed in) of 4-6mm chained depth hoar (weak sugary snow) near the ground.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Low
Coordinates