Start: 02/13/2009 - 6:00pm End: 02/13/2009 - 10:00pm Location: The Cliff Lodge at Snowbird, Utah Backcountry Awareness Benefit Dinner & Silent Auction

Friday, February 13th

5:30-9:00 p.m. in Cliff Lodge Ballroom, Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort 5:30-7:00 p.m. Silent Auction 7:00 p.m. Dinner 7:30-9:00 p.m. Presentation by Chris Waddell $75.00 per person (Make reservation on web or call Teri. Reservations open on December 28th.) Live entertainment by “Stormy Mountain Boys”

Inspirational speaker Chris Waddell will chronicle how he overcame a life-changing college skiing accident to become the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history, as well as preview his historic attempt to be the first paraplegic to summit Kilimanjaro in March. Also a book signing by Bruce Tremper “Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain”.) To register, go to the Snowbird Renaissance Center's site.

With help from Tucker Chenoweth from Snowbasin and Denali National Park:

The avalanche danger is mostly LOW. The danger for wet snow sluffing will rise to MODERATE with daytime warming on the east to south to westerly aspects. Check your timing with exits and plan your day accordingly.

Skies are clear again this morning and temperatures are inverted with temps in the teens in the valleys and low to mid thirties on the ridge tops. The winds have picked up over the last few hours, averaging 20-25 and gusting to 30 out of the south. The high temps of yesterday have left less favorable riding conditions on the south and southwest aspects but the shaded, sheltered aspects are still offering up some hero style riding.

The only avalanche activity reported from yesterday were several small wet slides that occurred later in the day as temps increased. These were isolated to the steep, rocky, south and southwest facing terrain.

Clear and sunny with increasing southerly winds ahead of the weakening storm system for Friday. Temps will rise toward 45 degrees at 8000' and approaching 40 at 10,000'. Winds will be 25-30 from the south. Perhaps 2-3" for Friday with unsettled weather for the weekend. At this point, Monday's cold front looks promising.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides operations planning page is here.

The last of the Beaver Mountain Discount tickets have been reduced to $35, with all proceeds going to the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. Click HERE for details.

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center is hosting a Level 2 avalanche class in February which is now open for registration by going to the Black Diamond retail store. More information is HERE.

Tickets are now available for the annual Backcountry Awareness Dinner on February 13th, with registration through the Snowbird Renaissance Center.

Beacon training parks are up and running! There is one at Snowbasin, one on the Park City side at the top of Canyon’s gondola, one in Little Cottonwood near the Snowbird parking structure on the bypass road, and in Big Cottonwood a training park is at the west end of Solitude's lower parking lot.

If you want to get this avalanche advisory e-mailed to you daily click HERE.

For a text only version, the link is on the left side bar, near the top.

UDOT highway avalanche control work info can be found by calling (801) 975-4838. Our statewide toll free line is 1-888-999-4019 (early morning, option 8).

The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work. To find out more about how you can support our efforts to continue providing the avalanche forecasting and education that you expect please visit our Friends page.

Your snow and avalanche observations help everyone in the backcountry community. Please let us know what you're seeing by leaving a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@utahavalanchecenter.org. (Fax 801-524-6301).

The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

Ev will update this advisory by 7:30 tomorrow morning.