Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Provo Area Mountains Issued by Evelyn Lees for Thursday - April 10, 2014 - 6:57am
bottom line

Start early, and by mid day or when the snow heats up it will be time to change your jersey, and choose another sport for the afternoon. Head to the ski areas to make more turns, go road or dirt biking, hiking, golfing, rock climbing - the avalanche danger in the backcountry will rise to CONSIDERABLE for WET AVALANCHES. Human triggered slides are likely on steep slopes of most aspects and elevations as the snow heats up, and natural wet sluffs and wet slabs could occur on steep slopes, engulfing you from above. Avoid travel on and beneath steep snow covered slopes, especially avoiding confined gullies and terrain traps such as creek beds.




special announcement

The Utah Avalanche Center is winding down for the season - we'll do early morning forecasts through this weekend (Sunday April 13th) and then issue intermittent advisories through the end of April.

current conditions

Skies have cleared behind a weak dry cold front, and temperatures are about 3 to 6 degrees cooler this morning, with most 10,000’ stations in the low to mid 30s. However, there are still some 40 degree temperatures at the lower elevations in the mountains this morning, especially in the Ogden area mountains. The front kicked up the northwesterly winds into the 10 to 20 mph range, with the high peaks averaging 35 mph, gusting to 50, this morning.

recent activity

Again yesterday, there were natural wet sluff avalanches, with a few triggering shallow wet slabs. Multiple large class 2’s ran in the steep, south facing gullies in Little Cottonwood, and a wet sluff triggered a long running slab in the Provo area mountains Tuesday. Below: Superior, LCC, PC – M Saurer.

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

Both human triggered and natural wet sluffs and wet slab avalanches continue to be the main issue. Statistics for wet slides are approximate, but the take home point is that most people that die in wet snow avalanches die in natural avalanches, not human triggered slides.

So, though we have slightly lower temperatures and a cooling northerly breeze today, there will still be lots of sun, many mid and low elevation stations have been above freezing for 48 hours, and the snow will heat and become wet and sloppy on many slopes.

  • While some of the snow surfaces may have a hard surface refreeze this morning, in many places it won’t last long, or you can punch though and there is weak wet snow beneath.
  • Surface melt water may start pooling in the buried weak layers or on crusts, creating a potential for wet slab avalanches.
  • Glide avalanches more likely. Glide avalanches can occur at any time, so avoid travel beneath the yawning cracks. Classic glide avalanche terrain includes the smooth rocky slabs of places like Stairs Gulch and Broads Fork.
  • Large cornices are drooping and sagging, and more likely to break off. Avoid travel beneath them, and stay well back from the edges, as they break back much further than you would think.
weather

It will be another day of clear skies and lots of sun, with 10,000’ temperatures warming into the mid-30s, and 8000’ temperatures back up around 50. The northwesterly winds will be strongest this morning, with speeds across the high peaks in the 25 to 35 mph range, and gusts to 50. Mid elevation ridgelines will have wind speeds in the 10 to 20 mph range. Hot temperatures again Friday and Saturday, with a cool down finally on Sunday as a cold front comes through.

general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

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 and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033), Canyons Resort Dispatch (435-615-3322)

Snowbasin Resort Dispatch (801-620-1017), Powder Mountain Dispatch (801-745-3772 x 123).

Sundance Dispatch (801-223-4150)

EMAIL ADVISORY We have switched to a new SLC email advisory system. If you would like to get the daily advisory by email, or if you have been getting the advisory by email since the beginning of the season and wish to continue, you will need to subscribe here.​  

DAWN PATROL Hotline updated daily by 5-530am - 888-999-4019 option 8.

Twitter Updates for your mobile phone - DETAILS

UDOT canyon closures:  LINK TO UDOT

Utah Avalanche Center mobile app - Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools.uned.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides Blog/Itinerary for the Day.  

Lost or Found something in the backcountry? - http://nolofo.com/

Ski Utah mobile snow updates

Discount lift tickets are now available at Backcountry.com - Thanks to Ski Utah and the Utah Resorts.  All proceeds go towards paying for Utah Avalanche Center avalanche and mountain weather advisories.

To those skinning uphill at resorts:  it is your responsibility to know the resort policy on uphill travel.  Some allow uphill travel and have guidelines, some don't. Contact the Ski Patrol at each resort for details. IMPORTANT: Before skinning at a resort under new snow conditions, check in with Ski Patrol.  Resorts can restrict or cut off access if incompatible with control and grooming operations.

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you shop from Backcountry.com or REI:  Click this link for Backcountry.com or this link to REI, shop, and they will donate a percent of your purchase price to the UAC.  Both offer free shipping (with some conditions) so this costs you nothing!

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on ebay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your ebay account here and click on ebay gives when you buy or sell.  You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny.

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 exist.