Provo Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Brett Kobernik

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

On March 11th and 13th, the Utah Avalanche Center and SheJumps will team up to provide a Backcountry 101 class for women only. We will have a Friday night lecture and a Sunday field day to teach youthe basics of how to ski / ride avalanche smart in the Utah backcountry andgive you the confidence and skills to make good decisions for yourself and your group in the backcountry. Details here.

There are just a few lift tickets left - to Sundance and Wolf Mountain ski resorts – 100% of the sale of these donated tickets goes to support the Utah Avalanche.

BOTTOM LINE

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


Danger Rose Tutorial

The avalanche danger starts out at Level 2 (MODERATE) and will be on the rise with the onset of more new snow. It may reach Level 3 (CONSIDERABLE) sometime this afternoon if enough snow falls. Human triggered new snow avalanches are possible on a variety of aspects and elevations. Naturals may occur during heavy snowfall this afternoon. The chance for triggering a deep slab avalanche is also increasing as the storm goes on. This is most likely on mid and upper elevation slopes on northerly through east facing slopes.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

We currently have a break in the current storm. Temperatures are in the low to mid 20s and winds are calm to light from the west. Storm snow totals are around a foot containing an inch of water in the Ogden area mountains

RECENT ACTIVITY

Avalanche activity from Sunday was within the new snow in the form of loose snow avalanches as well as sensitive soft slabs. These slabs were very manageable with instant gratification from slope cuts producing small avalanches that didn’t pose all that much harm. Most weren’t real wide and didn’t run all that far producing very soft piles of debris. A couple were a bit larger. The slight density inversion seemed to be the weak layer.

THREAT #1
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Avalanches within the new snow will be the most active concern today. Often new snow instabilities settle out fairly rapidly but with additional snow expected today it’s possible this weakness may remain a player into Tuesday. Things probably won’t be as sensitive this morning until more snow is added so be diligent about using test slopes and shovel tilt tests to reveal if this weakness is an issue. You can also isolate columns just with a ski pole to see if they stand under their own weight. Lightly tap the back of them to see where they might fail. Keep in mind the wind may pick up before the day is done and transport snow making things more sensitive.

THREAT #2
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Deep slabs are the more serious concern for today IF you happen to trigger one. The deep slab pattern has been very spotty activity with each new load whether it be new snow or a wind event transporting snow. I expect this to come to a halt soon but until we see a decent snow storm with no avalanches breaking into deeper layers we must treat this as a possibility. These are not manageable so it’s best to keep off any suspect slopes until the storm is over and we see what kind of activity went on.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

We’ll have mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid 20s and light southwesterly winds increasing as the day goes on. Snow should start up again during the day and intensify this afternoon and this evening before tapering off Tuesday morning. Winds shift to the northwest this evening and will be in the moderate category and temperatures dip into the teens. We may see up to another foot in many areas with more possible in the most favored locations.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Salt Lake – Alta Central (801-742-2033)

Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017)

Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150)

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com, Alta, Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Wolf Mountain, Snowbasin, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Sundance, and Solitude have donated a limited number of tickets for sale.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides flight plan.

Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30: 888-999-4019 option 8.

Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.

Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE.

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

You have the opportunity to participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email by clicking HERE

Donate to your favorite non-profit – The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

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.

We will update this forecast tomorrow morning. Thanks for calling.

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.