Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains Issued by Mark Staples for Monday - February 6, 2017 - 7:00am
bottom line

The avalanche danger today is CONSIDERABLE at upper elevations where fresh wind slabs can easily be triggered. The danger is MODERATE at mid to lower elevations. Dig into the snow to look for weak layers that can cause persistent slab avalanches, and watch for loose, wet snow avalanches at the lowest elevations.
special announcement

If you have time to kill, check out our recorded live Instagram digital fireside chat from Wednesday night. These fireside chats are informal discussions on the state of the snowpack and involve questions and comments from viewers. We hope to have more in the coming weeks.

current conditions

Strong southerly winds arrived late last night, and a trace to one inch of snow fell. This morning they are averaging 30-40 mph gusting 60-70 mph from the S and SW. Temperatures are near freezing at 8000 feet.
recent activity

Two days ago, snow safety teams at ski areas triggered some stubborn wind drifts up to a foot deep. Regular observers on Ben Lomond Peak saw plenty of wind loading yesterday.
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

Strong southerly winds have formed fresh wind slabs this morning which should be easy to trigger. With a little snow expected today and continued strong winds, fresh wind slabs should remain sensitive and become larger throughout the day.

Many ridgelines have massive cornices which will continue growing this week with more snow and more wind. These are unpredictable and have killed many experienced mountaineers. They often break further back than many expect. Avoid traveling near these monsters.
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

With so much snowfall over the last several weeks, buried persistent weak layers seem to have healed. They still exists and are worth looking for especially as we get more snow over the next several days. Dig 4 feet into the snow, look for a stripe in a clean pit wall, and do a quick extended column test. With some practice, this process should only take 5 minutes.
Avalanche Problem 3
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Some loose wet avalanches are possible at the lowest elevations where overnight temperatures were near 40 degrees F. Watch for these slides if any rain falls. Watch Toby's video about loose wet slides in Logan Canyon.
weather

Today freezing temperatures should remain near 8000 feet though the rain snow line should be closer to 6000 feet. Strong winds will continue from the SW blowing 20-30 mph. At the highest elevations, much stronger winds will blow with gusts over 70 mph. Snowfall today should only bring a few inches. Heavier snowfall will occur tonight with and additional 7-10 inches possible. The rain/snow line should rise to 7500 feet this evening and Tuesday and then drop tomorrow afternoon.
general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out 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 request 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.

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

TWITTER Updates for your mobile phone - DETAILS

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 critical to know the resort policy on uphill travel. You can see the uphill travel policy for each resort here.

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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.