Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Logan Area Mountains Issued by Toby Weed for Friday - March 6, 2015 - 7:18am
bottom line

Heightened avalanche conditions exist in the backcountry, and there's a MODERATE (level 2) danger. Triggered wind slab avalanches are possible on drifted upper elevation slopes steeper than about 30 degrees. Heightened wet avalanche conditions will develop in sunny terrain with daytime solar warming.

  • Evaluate the snow and terrain carefully, especially in drifted areas.
  • Avoid freshly built-out cornices on the ridge-tops and steep slopes with recent deposits of drifted snow.
  • Stay off of and out from under steep sunny slopes with sun-moistened surface snow during the heat of midday.

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special announcement

****Special thanks to Buttar's of Tremonton and ArcticCat for hooking us up with the light and powerful M8000, which is featured in UAC Logan's Practicing Companion Rescue video........HERE

current conditions

You'll find nice shallow powder riding conditions across the zone, with deeper new snow up high and on north and east facing slopes. Heightened avalanche conditions exist on drifted slopes and will develop in sunny terrain again today. The Tony Grove Snotel reports 75 inches of total snow containing 94% of average water for the date, and it's 26 degrees at 8400 feet. It's 20 degrees at the UDOT Hwy 89 Logan Summit weather station, with a moderate northwest breeze overnight.


Paige found nice powder riding conditions on the Cat in Steep Hollow, (3-4-2015)
recent activity
  • There was widespread natural activity across the zone Tuesday morning during a period of very heavy snowfall. The shallow storm snow avalanches in steep terrain facing northwest through southeast involved very soft snow and weren't very large or destructive.
  • I watched from afar as a sledder triggered a "user friendly" avalanche in White Pine Canyon yesterday. The avalanche on a comparatively small northeast facing slope at around 8300' looked to be a bit over a foot deep and around 50' wide, and the rider was clear of the slope by the time it slid.
  • Riders report triggering a few shallow and quite manageable wind slabs yesterday in steep terrain near the Bear River Range Crest. A northwest breeze yesterday and overnight continued to drift snow in exposed terrain, and more triggered wind slab activity is a good bet today.

A small "user friendly" sled-triggered avalanche from yesterday in White Pine Canyon. (3-5-2015)

***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

Triggered wind slab avalanches 1 to 2 feet deep are possible in drifted upper elevation terrain today. Avoid freshly built cornices and wind deposited snow on the lee side of ridges, in and around terrain features like gullies and cliff bands, and areas where snow is vertically cross-loaded near sub-ridges, roll-overs, or scoops lower on the slope.

Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 10 hours
description

Sun-warmed and saturated fresh snow is likely to become active, with loose avalanches entraining ​significant moist snow possible on steep sunny slopes. Avoid midday travel on or below steep sunny slopes, and keep in mind that roller balls and/or observed natural loose avalanches indicate significant potential for further avalanching while the snow is still initially warm.

weather

Looks like a ridge of high pressure will dominate the weather pattern for a while, with warming temperatures and fair weather expected in the mountains heading into and through the weekend. It'll be sunny and mild in the mountains, with 8500' high temperatures pushing 40 degrees and a continuing northwest breeze. It'll be clear tonight with mountain temperatures dipping into the mid twenties. Fair weather will continue well into next week.

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

general announcements

***Advisories by email for the Logan Zone.  Go here for details.

*** 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!

***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.