Ogden Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Evelyn Lees

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

The ability to deal with medical emergencies is a vital backcountry travel skill. On April 2-4, Utah Wilderness Safety will be conducting a Wilderness & Remote First Aid course in SLC. As an added bonus, WMS has agreed to donate a percent of the class proceeds to the FUAC. For more details, go to our events calendar or www.utahwildernesssafety.com/FIRST-AID.html.


BOTTOM LINE

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


Danger Rose Tutorial

The avalanche danger for wet slides is Low this morning, but will increase to Moderate with daytime heating on steep, sunny slopes. In thin, steep, snowpack areas there may be just enough soggy snow under the surface crusts to produce wet slab activity later in the day. There also continue to be Pockets of Moderate danger on northwesterly through northeasterly facing slopes, for the isolated places where a person could trigger a deeper slide on a buried faceted weak layer.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

It’s a stunning first day of spring, and once the sun rises due east in the sky, you’ll get a full 12 hours of sunlight to enjoy the mountains. Skies are clear, and temperatures have cooled into the single digits to mid teens. Northerly winds are light, averaging in the 5 to 15 mph range at all stations. Yesterday’s 1 to 3” of snow from convective showers will provide early morning dust on crust, which should rapidly soften to corn like conditions under the hot sun. Powder does exist on north facing, upper elevation slopes, best if you can find a slope where you won’t be hitting old tracks.


RECENT ACTIVITY

Keeping with the trend this winter, there is never a dull moment in the Wasatch backcountry. Yesterday, protective cornice dropping along the Coal Pit headwall produced a 4' deep x 100' wide slide, failing on a buried facet layer. We also received information about a dangerous slide that probably occurred on Thursday – a large wet loose/wet slab release off east facing Kessler that buried the Mill D south trail 1 1/2 miles up from BCC. Both posted with photos.


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 10 hours.

The short run of cold temperatures has provided a temporary reprieve from wet avalanches. However, the refreeze is superficial, and wet activity could begin again today. The run of the mill wet loose sluffs are fairly predictable, and thus avoidable – as the surface snow heats, first on east, then south, then west, and even northerly, get off of and out from under steep slopes. But it’s the unpredictable wet slabs that really irritate me – the refreeze is superficial at many locations, including the lower elevations, and wet and dry weak layers lurk beneath. While the wet slab avalanche problems will escalate tomorrow and Monday, be diligent today in checking the strength and thickness of the frozen surface and the snow it’s sitting on. Dig down or punch your pole handle through the crusts, and be alert to collapses and bending of the crusts. The steeper slopes will heat first, especially around rock bands and shallow snow pack areas.


THREAT #2

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

This is the winter where you can never let your guard down. Yesterday’s avalanche on the Coal Pit headwall shows there are still some slabs looking for trouble on mid and upper elevation northerly facing slopes. Travel defensively.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

After this morning’s cool start, temperatures will warm to near freezing at 8,000’ and into the mid 20s at 10,000’, though under the clear, sunny skies it will feel much warmer than that. Winds will remain light, generally less than 15 mph, from the north. As high pressure strengthens through the weekend, temperatures will soar on Sunday, with 8,000’ highs in the mid 40’s. On Tuesday, another one of this winter’s weak, disorganized storms will bring a slight chance for snow and cooler temperatures to the northern mountains..


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

SLC: Please contact Alta Central (801-742-2033) 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.

Ogden: 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.

Provo: Please contact Sundance ski patrol (801 -223-4150) 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 and the local resorts donated lift tickets, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Utah Avalanche Center. To get the last few tickets left for Park City, Beaver Mountain, and Sundance – click here 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 fill out the observation form on our home page.

Donate to your favorite non-profit – The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

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.

Brett 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.