Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Logan Area Mountains Issued by Toby Weed for Monday - February 16, 2015 - 7:04am
bottom line

The snow is stable on most slopes, avalanches are unlikely, and the danger is LOW (level 1) in the backcountry.

  • Use normal caution.
  • Continue to practice safe travel protocols. Go one at a time.
  • Carry and practice with your avalanche rescue equipment.

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special announcement

Special thanks to Buttar's and ArcticCat for hooking us up with the light and powerful M8000. This machine will make our field days more fun, safe, and productive and will significantly boost our outreach and education efforts.

RESEARCH PROJECT ON UNDERSTANDING TRAVEL BEHAVIOR IN AVALANCHE TERRAIN NEEDS YOU!! Scientists from the Snow and Avalanche Lab at Montana State University are seeking more participants for their project examining decision making and travel in avalanche terrain. Their project aims to collect GPS location information (from your smartphone) and survey responses from backcountry skiers and riders to better understand what types of terrain are used, and how decisions are made. Their focus is on backcountry skiers and riders of all abilities and experience.

More information: If you want to participate, or learn more about their project aims, research questions and approaches, please visit their web page: www.montana.edu/snowscience/tracks or their companion site directed toward snowmobilers at: www.montana.edu/snowscience/sleds

***Check out UAC Logan's Practicing Companion Rescue video........HERE

current conditions

The Tony Grove Snotel might have picked up an inch overnight, and the station reports 69 inches of total snow containing 108% of average water for the date. It's a cool 21 degrees at the 8400' site. The UDOT Hwy 89 Logan Summit weather station reports 12 degrees this morning and light east wind. Despite the recent too warm conditions, we found a few scraps of re-crystallized soft snow on due north facing slopes yesterday. You'll find supportable spring-like snow on most slopes in the backcountry, and a surface melt/freeze crust may not soften much today, with cooler temperatures, moderate northeast winds and a bit of cloud cover.

recent activity

No avalanches were reported locally since the first week of February.

Visit our Backcountry Observations Page for more local information and from across the state.

Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

The snow is stable on most slopes and avalanches are unlikely. As always in the mountains, avalanches remain possible in very steep or "extreme" terrain. Other objective hazards to watch for in the mountains today include slide-for-life and rock-fall potential in steep terrain on smooth and solidly refrozen snow.
weather

Snow showers are possible today. It'll be mostly cloudy in the morning, with a moderate northeast wind. Expect some clearing by afternoon and diminishing wind, with a high temperature at 8500' of around 30 degrees. It'll be mostly clear tonight, with a low temperature around 14 degrees. A high pressure system will rebuild over the area, with clear skies and warming temperatures through most of the work week. A glimmer of hope for a bit of snow looms for around Friday.

Check out our one-stop weather page........HERE

general announcements

You can now receive advisories by email for the Logan Zone.  Go here for details.

 Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools, with our updated,  Utah Avalanche Center mobile app 

Discount lift tickets are now available at Backcountry.com.  Thanks to Ski Utah and the Utah Resorts.  All proceeds go towards paying for Utah Avalanche Center avalanche and mountain weather advisories.

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you shop from Backcountry.com or REI:  Click this link for Backcountry.com or this link to REI, shop, and they will donate a percent of your purchase price to the UAC.  Both offer free shipping (with some conditions) so this costs you nothing!

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on ebay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your ebay account here and click on ebay gives when you buy or sell.  You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny.

***Please submit snow and avalanche observations from your ventures in the backcountry HERE. You can call us at 801-524-5304 or email HERE, or include #utavy in your Instagram or Tweet us @UAClogan. To report avalanche activity in the Logan Area or to contact the local avalanche forecaster call me, Toby, at 435-757-7578. 

I'll regularly update this advisory on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday mornings by about 7:30.   This advisory is produced by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. It describes only general avalanche conditions and local variations always exist.