Ogden Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Drew Hardesty

BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

There is a CONSIDERABLE avalanche on mid elevation west through north through easterly facing slopes of about 35 degrees and steeper. You’ll still easily trigger soft slab avalanches about a foot deep and up to 150’ wide. The danger for natural and human triggered loose wet and dry snow avalanches will rise significantly with provocation and/or heating on all the steepest sun exposed slopes.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

Clear, radiant stars in the clear sky this morning. It’ll be another bluebird day with rapidly warming temperatures and light backing winds. In the Ogden mountains, temps are currently in the single digits. Riding conditions epic.Temps are currently in the upper single digits and low teens. Stronger north to east winds loaded some of the upper south and west facing starting zones.

RECENT ACTIVITY

Another double digit day for skier triggered slides in the backcountry. Up to 11 reported slides (again – how many unreported?). These were 12-24” deep with some stretching out to 200’ wide and all on north to east facing slopes between 8600’-10,200’, running on the now fabled layers of surface hoar and near surface facets. My rough count has upwards of 65 avalanches on these layers since the 11th in the Salt Lake and Park City mountains alone.

We've more reports of sensitive skier triggered activity in the Ben Lomond area with avalanches running on surface hoar. See current conditions for more details.

THREAT #1
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

These remain most common on the west to north to east facing slopes between 8000’ and 10,000’. Outliers may be considered to be below 8000’ and more “off “than west and east. These will take more time to gain strength. Additional stress of sun and wind today will make these more sensitive to human and natural triggering.

Have to combine two Threats into One Item: we only have a maximum of three: Yesterday’s gusty north to northeast winds systematically drifted the blower powder onto the west to south to southeast facing starting zones in the higher elevations and exposed ridgelines. They may still be sensitive with warming. Approach these with caution – and consider your terrain – and consequences – take note of the fatality in extreme terrain off the Middle Teton from Sunday.

THREAT #2
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 10 hours.

Wet and dry sluffing will be commonplace today on all the steepest slopes at the mid and upper elevations. Direct sun with a higher angle of incidence will easily prod both dry and wet loose slides today. There’s quite a bit of snow that can be entrained along the way.

THREAT #3
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Perhaps I spoke too soon. The 2-3’ deep slabs in Provo had avalanched previously at least once perhaps twice this year already. Classic thin alpine terrain that took a good thump from another slide. The deeper weaknesses continue to gain strength in areas that have a solid base of up to 6’ or more – such as terrain in upper LCC. Mill Creek and the Park City ridgeline perhaps not as strong. Outliers remain, such as in thinner repeat avalanche zones. Bob Dylan was describing something else, but the words ring true – “He ain’t dead, he’s just asleep.” Deep slab – not gone, not forgotten.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

The bluebird will sing today. Sunny skies, light-increasing-to-moderate westerly winds, and temps rising into the upper 20s. High pressure breaks down with a quick hitting storm Wednesday into early Thursday. Storm totals look perhaps 3-7”. A large, ungainly closed Low pressure system is expected to move through over the weekend.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please contact Snowbasin ski patrol (801620-1000/1017) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com, Alta, Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Wolf Mountain, Snowbasin, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Sundance, and Solitude have donated a limited number of tickets for sale at discounted prices.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides flight plan.

Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30:888-999-4019 option 8.

Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.

Free UAC iPhone app from Canyon Sports.

Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE.

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

We appreciate all your avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email to uac@utahavalanchecenter.org

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The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

We will update this forecast tomorrow morning. Thanks for calling.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done.  This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.