Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Provo Area Mountains Issued by Mark Staples for Tuesday - December 22, 2015 - 7:24am
bottom line

The mountains near Provo have received a massive load of snow. The avalanche danger today is EXTREME. More human triggered and natural avalanches are certain. These slides may be very large and destructive.
avalanche warning

THE FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER IN SALT LAKE CITY HAS ISSUED A BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE WARNING.

* TIMING…IN EFFECT FROM 3:30 PM MST MONDAY TO 6 AM MST WEDNESDAY

* AFFECTED AREA…ALL THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN UTAH AND SOUTHEASTERN IDAHO, TO INCLUDE THE WASATCH RANGE, THE BEAR RIVER RANGE, THE WESTERN UINTAS AND THE MANTI-SKYLINE PLATEAU. OTHER MOUNTAIN RANGES NOT LISTED WILL LIKELY BE AFFECTED AS WELL.

* AVALANCHE DANGER…THE AVALANCHE DANGER FOR THE WARNING AREA IS HIGH

* IMPACTS…HEAVY SNOW COMBINED WITH WIND IS CREATING WIDESPREAD AREAS OF UNSTABLE SNOW. BOTH HUMAN TRIGGERED AND NATURAL AVALANCHES ARE LIKELY AND WILL OCCUR IN MANY AREAS. STAY OFF OF AND OUT FROM UNDER SLOPES STEEPER THAN 30 DEGREES.

THIS WARNING DOES NOT APPLY TO SKI AREAS WHERE AVALANCHE HAZARD REDUCTION MEASURES ARE PERFORMED.

See this VIDEO about the Avalanche Warning and High Avalanche Danger.
special announcement

The Vail Resorts EpicPromise program has donated an Epic Pass to the Utah Avalanche Center to sell as a fundraiser. The price is $809. For more details, email us or see the description on Facebook

Interested in going to one of our world class ski resorts? Buy discount lift tickets to Utah resorts and benefit the Utah Avalanche Center! Details here
current conditions

The mountains near Provo were clobbered last night with 23 inches of snow containing 3.7 inches of water at 7500 feet as of 4 a.m. Other locations received 11-15 inches of snow containing about 2 inches of water. This is a massive load on a very weak snowpack and it is still snowing.
recent activity

Control work during the night by UDOT triggered a very large avalanche classified as a size 4. This size of avalanche has the capability of destroying sections of forest or buildings. Additionally many small cut banks released naturally.
Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

An experienced avalanche professional who had been up all night long said this morning that "Natural avalanches aren't likely...they are happening NOW." Weak snow near the ground has been loaded well beyond its breaking point and both natural and human triggered avalanches are certain. Avoid all avalanche terrain today.
Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

If avalanches don't break at the ground they will break within the new snow. Even small cut banks or any slope steeper than 30 degrees can release and produce an avalanche.
weather

Snowfall should continue this morning and slow down by this afternoon. Temperatures should remain in the 20s F and winds at 9000 ft should blow 15-25 mph from the WNW. This WNW flow should continue to favor Little Cottonwood Canyon which received less snow overnight than other areas. By tomorrow morning there should be another 6-10 inches of snow.
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, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

To get help in an emergency (to launch a rescue) in the Wasatch, call 911.  Be prepared to give your GPS coordinates or the run name. Dispatchers have a copy of the Wasatch Backcountry Ski map.

Backcountry Emergencies. It outlines your step-by-step method in the event of a winter backcountry incident.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry, but no one is hurt and you do not need assistance, please notify the nearest ski area dispatch to avoid a needless response by rescue teams. Thanks.

Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033), Canyons Resort/PCMR Dispatch (435)615-1911

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

Sundance Dispatch (801-223-4150)

EMAIL ADVISORY  If you would like to get the daily advisory by email 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, or on Twitter, follow @UDOTavy, @CanyonAlerts or @AltaCentral

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

Powderbird Helicopter Skiing - Blog/itinerary for the day

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

Ski Utah mobile snow updates

To those skinning uphill at resorts:  it is your responsibility to know the resort policy on uphill travel.  You can see the uphill travel policy for each resort here. IMPORTANT: Before skinning or hiking 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.