Special message from our partners, the Friends of Utah Avalanche Center: This is a tense time for us. The recession is making it harder to pay for avalanche forecasting in Utah. Many of you have already donated and we deeply appreciate that. Sending in checks, donating online, buying raffle tickets at movie events, and coming to the Fall Black Diamond Party – it all helps. As 2011 comes to an end, please consider what daily avalanche information means to your knowledge of what is going on in the mountains, what elevations and aspects are likely to provide best safety and riding conditions, and your understanding of how to avoid avalanches. If this is critical to your life in the mountains, please consider an additional donation and pester your partners - are they stepping up and donating as well? With your help, we can keep this program strong and growing. To donate, go tohttp://utahavalanchecenter.org/donate Have a great holiday season and stay safe.

We have pockets of MODERATE danger of long running loose snow and shallow but sensitive soft slabs along the mid and upper elevation steep terrain. While shallow, they'll still have the potential to knock you off your feet or ride, taking you on a tumble through rocks and trees. Traumatic injury remains the significant concern unless you are carried into and buried in a terrain trap - such as a steep walled gulley or very abrupt slope transition.

Skies are overcast this morning on the heels of what looks to be a 3-5" nice little storm. Table scraps, really, if you look at the 16" of new down in the La Sals and Abajos. They have their Avalanche Warning, we'll have areas of Moderate. Oh well. Soon enough. Winds are out of the west northwest and generally less than 15mph. Along the most exposed ridges, they've just started to blow 20mph with gusts to 30. Temps are in the low teens and single digits up high and in the low 20s down low. The new white stuff improved conditions somewhat while also thinly veiling the still protruding rocks and stumps in this vertically challenged snowpack.

Finally something across the ticker tape yesterday. Many observers reported long running sluffs (see Mark White's and Dave Kelly's pics) and some shallow soft slab development, particularly just off the ridgelines up high. One skier (thanks for the report) in mid-Little Cottonwood triggered and was briefly caught and carried in a 4-5" deep and 40' wide soft slab in steep rocky high northerly terrain. Collapsing and cracking was noted as well.

While not a surprise, the snowpack is certainly tipping its hand as to what's to come.

We'll have mostly cloudy skies today. Temps will be be in the upper teens up high, the low 20s down low. Winds will be northwesterly and light, though perhaps 20-25mph along the 11,000' ridge lines. The next storm splits sharply tomorrow night and we'll have more time for the snowpack to rot once again.

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)