Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains Issued by Brett Kobernik for Thursday - November 27, 2014 - 7:43am
bottom line

There is a MODERATE avalanche danger in the Ogden area mountains today. There is a minor chance you could trigger a slab avalanche in the highest north facing terrain. Anticipate minor wet activity also.
current conditions

Temperatures have been on the rise for the last 48 hours and are currently 35 to 45 degrees at most mountain locations. Winds have decreased into the moderate speed range from the west. Snow observations from Wednesday included wet snow below around 8000 feet and on the more sunny aspects. Riding conditions were reported as good.
recent activity

Snow Safety teams at Powder Mountain reported one slab avalanche in uncompacted terrain. This seems to be somewhat of an outlier but does demonstrate there is some weakness within the snowpack in the Ogden area mountains.
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

An overall shallow snowpack limits backcountry recreation in the Ogden are mountains currently. There was not much snow on the ground in early November to turn into a sugary weak layer like what the Salt Lake region has. You can probably find weak snow in the highest northerly aspects and there may be some avalanche danger in those areas. In areas where the snowpack is deeper than about 10 inches, you will probably want to consider today's warmer temperatures which could make the snow unstable enough to produce some minor wet avalanche activity especially on the more sunny slopes.
weather

We'll see high thin clouds with mild temperatures and moderate speed west winds today. Anticipate unseasonably warm temperatures today. High pressure stays in place into the weekend with low confidence in potential storms following. We'll have warm temperatures again Friday and perhaps into Saturday and it looks slightly breezy as well. The EC and GFS weather models have drastically different scenarios for late in the weekend and into next week with the GFS showing better chances for storms.
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, 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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Wasatch Powderbird Guides Blog/Itinerary for the Day.  

Lost or Found something in the backcountry? - http://nolofo.com/

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To those skinning uphill at resorts:  it is your responsibility to know the resort policy on uphill travel.  You can see the uphill travel policy for each resort here. IMPORTANT: Before skinning or hiking 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.