Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains Issued by Greg Gagne for Friday - February 12, 2016 - 7:09am
bottom line

The avalanche danger is mostly LOW this morning. A MODERATE danger remains at high elevations with a few weak layers in the snowpack that could produce an avalanche. Additionally, the danger will rise to MODERATE on south aspects due to a loose wet snow avalanche problem as things warm up.
special announcement

Tuesday, February 16th - Companion Rescue Clinic at Weller Recreation from 6:30-9pm. For more info HERE.
current conditions

It's a warm morning with many mid to upper elevation weather stations reporting above freezing temperatures. Stations in canyon bottoms are reporting below freezing temps, so a temperature inversion is in place as is often the case during periods of high pressure. I do think there has been enough cooling of the snow surface from clear skies to help provide a decent refreeze of the snow surface surface, but it is likely to soften quickly this morning as temperatures warm.

Winds have been moderate and from the southwest. Gusts in the mid 20 mph range have been reported at higher elevations.

There have been several observations from this past week reporting a weakening snow surface on mid and upper elevation north facing slopes. This includes near-surface facets as well as surface hoar. For the time being this is not a concern, but it is something we will need to pay attention to once we receive a new load of snow and/or wind loading.

recent activity

There was minimal wet loose avalanche activity yesterday on steeper south and west aspects.
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

Overall it seems the majority of wet activity occurred earlier this week, and only minor wet sluffing has been reported the past few days. I received one report from yesterday indicating south aspects softening about 11 am. Although skies were clear, overnight lows are a bit warmer than Wednesday night and the snow may soften earlier this morning. Watch for signs of instability such as pinwheels and rollerballs. It's time to get off of - and out from underneath - the snow surface once it becomes sloppy and over your boot tops. Bruce Tremper provided a great video overview of the snowpack on sunny aspects.
Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

There are a few problems to remain aware of in the Ogden area mountains. Although winds have been blowing with some moderate gusts out of the West and Southwest, there isn't much snow on windward aspects available for transport, so I'm not expecting any new wind drifting. But there may be a few lingering wind slabs from earlier this week, and also a few isolated locations with intact buried surface hoar, as well as some facets around an ice crust buried one to two feet deep. These hazards generally have low probability, but are worth investigating if you get into high consequence terrain.
weather

Temperatures today should reach the mid 40s F with light to moderate winds out of the West and Southwest. Occasional high clouds may stream overhead. Increasing clouds are expected over the weekend with the possibility of a few inches of snow on Sunday with possibly higher snow totals north. Stay tuned.
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.

To get help in an emergency (to launch a rescue) in the Wasatch, call 911.  Be prepared to give your GPS coordinates or the run name. Dispatchers have a copy of the Wasatch Backcountry Ski map.

Backcountry Emergencies. It outlines your step-by-step method in the event of a winter backcountry incident.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry, but no one is hurt and you do not need assistance, please notify the nearest ski area dispatch to avoid a needless response by rescue teams. Thanks.

Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033), Canyons Resort/PCMR Dispatch (435)615-1911

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

Sundance Dispatch (801-223-4150)

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UDOT canyon closures:  LINK TO UDOT, or on Twitter, follow @UDOTavy, @CanyonAlerts or @AltaCentral

Utah Avalanche Center mobile app - Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools.

Powderbird Helicopter Skiing - Blog/itinerary for the day  

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

Ski Utah mobile snow updates

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.