Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains | utahavalanchecenter.org

Avalanche Advisory

Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains	Issued by Evelyn Lees for Thursday - April 10, 2014 - 7:06am

bottom line

Start early, and by mid day or when the snow heats up it will be time to change your jersey, and choose another sport for the afternoon. Head to the ski areas to make more turns, go road or dirt biking, hiking, golfing, rock climbing - the avalanche danger in the backcountry will rise to CONSIDERABLE for WET AVALANCHES. Human triggered slides are likely on steep slopes of most aspects and elevations as the snow heats up, and natural wet sluffs and wet slabs could occur on steep slopes, engulfing you from above. Avoid travel on and beneath steep snow covered slopes, especially avoiding confined gullies and terrain traps such as creek beds.

special announcement

The Utah Avalanche Center is winding down for the season - we'll do early morning forecasts through this weekend (Sunday April 13th) and then issue intermittent advisories through the end of April.

current conditions

Skies have cleared behind a weak dry cold front, and temperatures are about 3 to 6 degrees cooler this morning, with most Ogden ridge line stations in the mid 30s. However, there are still some 40 degree temperatures at the mid to lower elevations in the mountains this morning. The front kicked up the northwesterly winds into the 10 to 20 mph range, with the high peaks gusting to 25 this morning.

recent activity

Again yesterday, there were natural wet sluff avalanches, with a few triggering shallow wet slabs. Multiple large class 2’s ran in the steep, south facing gullies in Little Cottonwood, and a wet sluff triggered a long running slab in the Provo area mountains Tuesday. Below: Superior, LCC, PC – M Saurer.

Avalanche Problem 1

type	aspect/elevation	characteristics
		LIKELIHOOD LIKELY UNLIKELY SIZE LARGE SMALL TREND INCREASING DANGER SAME DECREASING DANGER over the next 12 hours
description Both human triggered and natural wet sluffs and wet slab avalanches continue to be the main issue. Statistics for wet slides are approximate, but the take home point is that most people that die in wet snow avalanches die in natural avalanches, not human triggered slides. So, though we have slightly lower temperatures and a cooling northerly breeze today, there will still be lots of sun, many mid and low elevation stations have been above freezing for 48 hours, and the snow will heat and become wet and sloppy on many slopes. While some of the snow surfaces may have a hard surface refreeze this morning, in many places it won’t last long, or you can punch though and there is weak wet snow beneath. Surface melt water may start pooling in the buried weak layers or on crusts, creating a potential for wet slab avalanches. Glide avalanches more likely. Glide avalanches can occur at any time, so avoid travel beneath the yawning cracks. Classic glide avalanche terrain includes the smooth rocky slabs of places like Stairs Gulch and Broads Fork. Large cornices are drooping and sagging, and more likely to break off. Avoid travel beneath them, and stay well back from the edges, as they break back much further than you would think.

type

aspect/elevation

characteristics

LIKELIHOOD

LIKELY

UNLIKELY

SIZE

LARGE

SMALL

TREND

INCREASING DANGER

SAME

DECREASING DANGER

over the next 12 hours

description

Both human triggered and natural wet sluffs and wet slab avalanches continue to be the main issue. Statistics for wet slides are approximate, but the take home point is that most people that die in wet snow avalanches die in natural avalanches, not human triggered slides.

So, though we have slightly lower temperatures and a cooling northerly breeze today, there will still be lots of sun, many mid and low elevation stations have been above freezing for 48 hours, and the snow will heat and become wet and sloppy on many slopes.

While some of the snow surfaces may have a hard surface refreeze this morning, in many places it won’t last long, or you can punch though and there is weak wet snow beneath.
Surface melt water may start pooling in the buried weak layers or on crusts, creating a potential for wet slab avalanches.
Glide avalanches more likely. Glide avalanches can occur at any time, so avoid travel beneath the yawning cracks. Classic glide avalanche terrain includes the smooth rocky slabs of places like Stairs Gulch and Broads Fork.
Large cornices are drooping and sagging, and more likely to break off. Avoid travel beneath them, and stay well back from the edges, as they break back much further than you would think.

weather

It will be another day of clear skies and lots of sun, with ridge line temperatures warming into the mid-30s, and 8000’ temperatures back up around 50. The northwesterly winds will be strongest this morning, with averages decreasing to less than 20 mph later today. Hot temperatures again Friday and Saturday, with a cool down finally on Sunday as a cold front comes through.

general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams 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.

Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033), Canyons Resort Dispatch (435-615-3322)

Snowbasin Resort Dispatch (801-620-1017), Powder Mountain Dispatch (801-745-3772 x 123).

Sundance Dispatch (801-223-4150)

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DAWN PATROL Hotline updated daily by 5-530am - 888-999-4019 option 8.

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Wasatch Powderbird Guides Blog/Itinerary for the Day.

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To those skinning uphill at resorts: it is your responsibility to know the resort policy on uphill travel. Some allow uphill travel and have guidelines, some don't. Contact the Ski Patrol at each resort for details. IMPORTANT: Before skinning at a resort under new snow conditions, check in with Ski Patrol. Resorts can restrict or cut off access if incompatible with control and grooming operations.

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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 exist.

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