Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains Issued by Drew Hardesty for Wednesday - March 29, 2017 - 7:21am
bottom line

By mid to late morning, the danger will rise toward CONSIDERABLE for wet loose and perhaps wet slab avalanches on east, then south, then westerly aspects. Northeast and northwest aspects will also be susceptible to sun and heating. Wet avalanche activity is a certainty and I expect to see decent wet debris piles beneath steep sustained terrain features as the wet avalanches run not fast but far as they entrain all the snow down to the underlying melt-freeze crusts.

Isolated pockets of wind slab may still be sensitive to human weight or cornice fall in steep upper elevation terrain. And, last but not least, cornices and glide cracks should be avoided with care.




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current conditions

Skies are mostly clear with mountain temps in the mid to upper 20s. Winds remain northerly, blowing 15-20mph with gusts to 25 along the high ridgelines. I suspect that some of the anemometers are rimed or sheltered from the northerly winds. Sun,heating, and rime put the hurt on all aspects and elevations but high north yesterday and you'll find breakable crusts across the landscape prior to the the morning thaw.

recent activity

Yesterday's activity is derived from the moderate to strong northerly winds and the irrepressible late March sun and heating. Minor pockets of wind slab reported with control work with no significant wet activity reported.

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

Avoid traveling in steep sunny terrain where the snow surface becomes wet and unstable. There's no secret here: look for the tell-tale signs of wet snow instability: pinwheels, rollerballs, natural sluffs, wet unsupportable snow.

weather

We'll have mostly sunny skies with mountain temperatures rising to the upper 40s at 8500' and near 30°F along the ridgelines. Winds will be northerly at 10-15mph. We should see some high clouds on the horizon in the afternoon signaling the advance of a large low pressure system that moves in tomorrow through early Saturday. Closed Low pressure systems are often accompanied with great uncertainty for precipitation totals, but I'd hedge with 4-8" by early Saturday. The insult will be in the form of strong easterly winds Friday into Saturday. Stay tuned.

general announcements

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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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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 occur