Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains Issued by Paige Pagnucco for Friday - December 29, 2017 - 5:58am
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There is a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger on many slopes in the backcountry. Dangerous avalanche conditions exist - careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route finding and conservative decision making are essential to your survival in the backcountry today. Human-triggered avalanches can be triggered remotely from a distance as well as from below. Choose to travel on flat terrain or low angle slopes not connected to steeper terrain above.

*Remember that when you leave a ski area boundary, you are entering the backcountry. You should travel with avalanche rescue gear as well as understand the avalanche hazard.

We are still in the period of time where avalanche accidents are likely - traveling in safe terrain will keep you from becoming a statistic.
current conditions

Skies are mostly clear with temps in the low to mid 30's F with moderate southwest winds. Upper elevation snowpack depths sit at two to almost three feet. Riding conditions are quite good as the Christmas storm snow settles, but still a touch thin at low elevations.

A big shout out to LUCKY SLICE PIZZA in Ogden for bringing a ton of awesome pizza to Wednesday's KNOW BEFORE YOU GO talk at GEAR 30. We appreciate your support and love your pizza! If you are interested in furthering your avalanche education, visit our EDUCATION page.

recent activity

Observers are still experiencing collapsing - strong evidence of continued poor snowpack structure.

The week was filled with avalanches and observations of instability:

On Wednesday there was a remotely triggered avalanche on Beer Hill in the Monte Cristo area. A snowmobiler triggered the avalanche from about 150 yards away. Read the observation here.

Beer Hill avalanche 12/27/17

Mark Staples visited Whiskey Hill Wednesday to conduct an investigation of Tuesday's accident involving multiple burials. See photo below and read his thorough report here.

Whiskey Hill avalanche 12/26/17

An avalanche cycle occurred just prior to Christmas Day and many slopes may still yet be triggered by backcountry travelers on and adjacent to steep slopes. Plenty of excellent recent observations from Ogden to read.

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

Though this type of avalanche is getting harder to trigger, the consequences of getting caught in one remain high. The snow is SLOWLY stabilizing but we still have collapsing and recent avalanches - RED FLAGS for avalanche activity. Persistent = continuing to exist or endure over a prolonged period. This weak layer is not going anywhere anytime soon so, until we see evidence of stabilization, continue to stay on low angle terrain and out from under steep slopes. See Mark's video from Whiskey Hill as he explains why it is so easy to trigger an avalanche from below.

YouTube Link
Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 12 hours
description

Moderate southwesterly winds continue to drift snow near ridge lines and terrain features like gullies. Wind slabs look smooth and feel chalky and hollow. If triggered, this type of slide could step down to one of the deeper weak layers, resulting in a much larger avalanche. Avoid steep wind drifted slopes to avoid this problem.
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

With warm overnight temperatures and forecasted high temperatures nearing 40 F in the mountains there's a small chance for wet activity on sun-drenched sheltered south facing slopes though the low sun angle and wind may keep things in check. If the snow gets sticky or you start seeing rollerballs, move to lower angle or shaded terrain.

weather

Today will be partly cloudy in the Ogden area mountains with temperatures nearing 40 F and winds out of the southwest at 10-15 mph, ridgetops closer to 20-25 mph. A quick hitting storm is on tap for tomorrow afternoon with the potential for a few inches of snow. After that, we dry out and wait for another pattern shift.

general announcements

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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.