Provo Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Bruce Tremper

BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

Although the avalanche danger is mostly LOW, there is a MODERATE avalanche danger areas for 1) sensitive cornices, 2) lingering wind slabs and 3) damp or wet avalanches on lower elevation, sun exposed slopes.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

Yesterday was one of those magical days when you’re glad to be alive with sun, warm temperatures and nice riding conditions, at least on the north through east facing slopes. All the other slopes are sun crusted. The storm snow from Tuesday is now settled, somewhat dense and creamy. Trail breaking is much easier and the snow is much more supportable on a snow machine.


RECENT ACTIVITY

The main problems from Thursday were the large cornices that many people, me included, found to break much larger and farther back than you expect. One extremely experienced backcountry skier nearly went for a ride on a “UTA bus sized cornice” in west Monitor. There was another large, cornice fall on Cardiac Ridge. We have a lot of photos coming in from the avalanche activity during the storm posted on our Photos Page. Yesterday there were a couple reports of soft slabs in wind affected terrain, but they were mainly small and manageable. A Park City ski resort had some interesting, wind slabs that did not release when they did explosive control in the morning, but they did come out by hitting them with ski cuts and damp sluffs after they heated up in the afternoon. They were about a foot deep, running on dry, faceted snow from before the storm.


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Especially with even warmer temperatures today, cornices will continue to be larger and more sensitive than usual, so you should give them a wide berth. There have been several close calls in the past couple days so be extra careful.


THREAT #2

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

There are still a few lingering wind slabs, mostly in upper elevation, wind exposed terrain. As usual, be suspicious of steep slopes with recent wind deposits.


THREAT #3

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 8 hours.

As temperatures warm up today, we will continue to get rollerballs and wet sluffs, especially at lower elevation sun exposed terrain, especially on south facing slopes.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

Another day in paradise with warm temperatures and sunny skies. Ridge top temperatures will rise to freezing and up into the lower 40’s down at 8,000’. Ridge top winds will be very elevation dependant with light winds at lower elevations but above 10,000’ they will blow harder from the northwest, around 20 mph, gusting into the 30’s. The extended forecast calls for another chance for snow on Monday through Wednesday


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our web page is now mobile-friendly for users of iPhone and iPod Touch.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew yesterday in Cardiff, Days, Silver, Mineral, Grizzly and American Fork. Today, they will be in the same areas and also in the Cascade Ridge area. Operations planning page is here.

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 toward the Tombstone lift, 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 visitour 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.

Evelyn Lees will update this advisory by 7:30 tomorrow morning.


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.


This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.