Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Provo Area Mountains Issued by Brett Kobernik for Wednesday - March 9, 2016 - 6:40am
bottom line

The avalanche danger remains generally LOW in the majority of the backcountry terrain. I hesitate to call it MODERATE on the steeper upper elevation ridgtop terrain but I suppose there may be minor human triggered avalanche activity. Consider consequences of even a small slide if you are getting into the more unforgiving terrain.
special announcement

Thursday 6pm: Utah Adventure Journals final installment of the speaker series with Ted and Jenny Wilson at Snowbird presented by Scarpa. Raffle held to benefit UAC. Must be 21 or older to attend. DETAILS HERE!
current conditions

Riding conditions remain good on the more northerly aspects. East, south and west have a melt freeze crust. Ridgetop temperatures are around 20 and ridgetop wind is from the west in the light to moderate speed category. It did bump slightly in speed overnight but appears to be slowing again. A minor storm moving through this morning added a trace to a couple inches of snow so far.
recent activity

No significant avalanche activity was reported from Tuesday. There were some rollerballs and you could produce a few minor "push-a-lanches" by skiing on very steep slopes that had become overly wet from direct sun. A few folks noted that you could initiate dry loose snow "sluffs" on the steepest northerly slopes. It was noted that they would run far and would gain enough mass to knock a person over. "Manageable" was used to describe them.
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

The few inches of new snow is not going to increase the avalanche danger much especially if you are following routine backcountry protocol and are not getting into radical and exposed terrain. Anticipate sluffing on the steeper slopes. Watch for any fresh drifts that may form along the higher ridges. The new snow will become damp on sunny slopes with any clearing today and you may be able to initiate small wet loose slides.
weather

This little storm is about done with already and we'll probably see some partial clearing during the day today. Ridgetop highs should be in the mid to upper 20s. Ridgetop wind will be from the west in the light to moderate speed category. A ridge of high pressure sets in for the next few days with a pretty nice warmer day on Thursday and similar conditions on Friday with a few more clouds. It looks like the ridge is going to make an approaching storm fall apart on Saturday.
general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out 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 request 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.

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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.