Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains Issued by Brett Kobernik for Tuesday - February 3, 2015 - 7:22am
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Most terrain still has a LOW avalanche danger today but there is a MODERATE danger for fresh wind drifts along the upper elevation ridges. Watch for "pockety" wind slabs along the upper elevation ridges especially on the easterly facing terrain and consider consequences if you're in radical terrain. Continue to prod and jump on any fresh drifts in safe terrain to get a feel of how sensitive they are.




current conditions

Another little impulse moved through overnight adding an inch or so of new snow. This makes 2 to 3 inches total since Sunday. Densities have been high and the rain-snow line has been around 7500 feet or so. Temperatures have been fairly steady in the upper 20s along the 9000 foot ridges. Winds again bumped in speed slightly overnight and have slowed a bit again into the moderate speed range. We're seeing breaks in the clouds in the valley with cloud cover still over the mountains at 7am.

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

Wind slabs along the upper elevation ridges will be your main concern today. These may be a bit more pronounced today compared to yesterday. Continue to watch for cracking within the new snow. Test fresh drifts in safe areas by doing quick hand pits or cut across them while you're traveling. Pay attention to areas where the new snow is deeper than about 3 to 4 inches which would indicate new wind loading has occurred.

weather

Clouds may break and thin out for a while this morning then increase again as the day goes on. 9000 foot temperatures will be in the upper 20s. Westerly winds are anticipated to increase mid day but won't get real strong except at the highest most exposed peaks. We'll have a decent chance of picking up 3 to 5 inches of high density snow tonight as the last disturbance in this series moves through. Rain-snow lines will again start pretty high, around 7500 feet and perhaps drop a bit. High pressure returns Thursday and Friday with very mild temperatures.

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/

Ski Utah mobile snow updates

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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.