Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains | utahavalanchecenter.org

Avalanche Advisory

Advisory: Ogden Area Mountains	Issued by Trent Meisenheimer for Monday - April 2, 2018 - 5:59am

bottom line

The avalanche danger is LOW with generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for and avoid any new drifts of wind blown snow. There are widespread icy crusts on most aspects and elevations - so be prepared for hard, “slide for life” conditions in steep terrain. Ice axes, crampons and ski crampons may be appropriate for steep objectives.

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current conditions

Skies will become increasingly cloudy this morning as a fast moving storm comes through. Currently the west/southwest winds are blowing strong across the high terrain with speeds of 20-30 mph gusting into the 30's & 40's. Mid elevation winds are a bit more tame and in the range of 15-20 mph. Mountain temperatures are in the mid to upper 30's °F at 8,500'.

recent activity

No new avalanche activity was reported from the backcountry yesterday. HERE is a list of all recent observations.

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 The avalanche hazard is generally Low and avalanches are unlikely. But travel in avalanche terrain is never a completely safe game, so watch for the following issues on isolated features: Wind slabs: With strong west/southwest winds this morning you'll likely find shallow drifts of wind blown snow on lee sides of terrain features. It always amazes me how the wind can find snow to drift - even when the snow surface is icy, hard and worn out. Early in the afternoon the cold front will arrive with an expected 2-5" of new snow and strong northwest winds. This will create more sensitive drifts along the ridgelines and terrain features. These drifts will be shallow and relatively small - however, they will be easy to trigger. Shallow drifts of wind blown snow can be very consequential if you're in extreme terrain where even a small avalanche can have disastrous consequences. Deep slab: If you’re wondering what happened to the Deep Slab avalanche problem, catch up with Mark’s great video. The issue and the weak layers are not gone, rather they are currently dormant and avalanching on these deeper weak layers is unlikely. I really like this video below from professional skier Greg Hill explaining his strategy on changing conditions. This is especially true in the spring time where conditions change minute by minute.

type

aspect/elevation

characteristics

LIKELIHOOD

LIKELY

UNLIKELY

SIZE

LARGE

SMALL

TREND

INCREASING DANGER

SAME

DECREASING DANGER

over the next 12 hours

description

The avalanche hazard is generally Low and avalanches are unlikely. But travel in avalanche terrain is never a completely safe game, so watch for the following issues on isolated features:

Wind slabs: With strong west/southwest winds this morning you'll likely find shallow drifts of wind blown snow on lee sides of terrain features. It always amazes me how the wind can find snow to drift - even when the snow surface is icy, hard and worn out.

Early in the afternoon the cold front will arrive with an expected 2-5" of new snow and strong northwest winds. This will create more sensitive drifts along the ridgelines and terrain features. These drifts will be shallow and relatively small - however, they will be easy to trigger. Shallow drifts of wind blown snow can be very consequential if you're in extreme terrain where even a small avalanche can have disastrous consequences.

Deep slab: If you’re wondering what happened to the Deep Slab avalanche problem, catch up with Mark’s great video. The issue and the weak layers are not gone, rather they are currently dormant and avalanching on these deeper weak layers is unlikely.

I really like this video below from professional skier Greg Hill explaining his strategy on changing conditions. This is especially true in the spring time where conditions change minute by minute.

weather

Southerly winds will continue to blow 15-25 mph gusting into the 30's and 40's ahead of a quick hitting storm. The cold front is expected around the noon hour and will likely deliver 2-5" of new snow for the Ogden area by this evening. Unfortunately, after the cold front arrives the northwest winds will be strong and continue to blow 15-25 mph gusting into the 40's until midnight tonight. Temperatures will be cooling throughout the day and later this afternoon will top out in the mid 20's before cooling off into the single digits overnight. Models are continuing to suggest a nice shot of snow over the weekend.

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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.

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