Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Provo Area Mountains Issued by Evelyn Lees for Saturday - February 25, 2017 - 7:06am
bottom line

This morning, the avalanche danger is MODERATE on steep slopes of all elevations and aspects, where long running sluffs can be triggered. At the mid and upper elevations, there is also a MODERATE danger of triggering an old or newer wind drift. Cornices are huge and will break back further than expected.

IF THE WINDS PICK UP WHERE YOU ARE, THE AVALANCHE DANGER WILL INSTANTLY RISE TO CONSIDERABLE on and below steep wind drifted slopes, most likely occuring at the upper elevations. Quickly get out of the wind drifted terrain by heading to a lower elevation or a different aspect.




special announcement

The CAIC finished their report on the recent snowbike fatality. It's a story worth reading. It was a complex situation, with 3 separate avalanches occurring. A take home is that they had airbags and didn't know they needed beacons, too. A beacon, probe, and shovel are still essential gear, even with an air bag.

Catch up with Greg’s weekly review here.

current conditions

This winter keeps getting better and better... storm totals of classic Utah powder this week are 3 to 4’ in the Cottonwoods, up to 3’ on the Park City side, 3 ½ feet in the Ogden area mountains and about 2 feet in the Provo area mountains. Cold temperatures and clouds have preserved the deep low-density powder on all aspects with little settlement. Trail breaking has been epic to match – worth 2 desserts after a long day.

Hand in hand with the winter snow are winter temperatures…most stations are in the single digits in the Provo area mountains. West to southwest winds at the higher 11,000’ elevations to the north are flirting with 20 to 25 mph averages, while Arrowhead is averaging 12 mph, with gusts to 25 mph.

recent activity

No recent reports form the Provo area mountains. Elsewhere yesterday, people were able to trigger long running sluffs in the backcountry. The resorts reported both soft slabs and sluffs from ski cuts and explosives, far and fast running. The one stand out was a natural in the White Pine slide path in Little Cottonwood Canyon hitting the road. It was a post control release, perhaps triggered by a period of heavier snowfall and a slight up tick in wind speeds.

Left - Mark White photo sluff Right - Tyler Falk photo, small wind slab


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

Wind slabs from the past few days can be triggered – new soft slabs and older wind slabs hidden beneath the new snow. These are mostly at the upper elevations. Today, conditions could change with the blink of an eye if winds increase by 5 to 10 mph. So be ready for rapidly changing conditions, especially at the upper elevations. Keep an eye out for plumes off the peaks and ridges, drifting where you are, or your tracks filling in. If the winds pick up where you are and snow starts to drift, get off steep slopes and avoid the terrain below the blowing snow, as natural avalanches could occur. Head to less wind affected terrain – go to a different aspect or drop to a lower elevation - and continue to have an awesome day of powder.

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

People will continue to be able to trigger loose dry sluffs on steep slopes today. Once these sluffs get going, they can go fast and far in continuously steep terrain. Most of the sluffs will be within the storm snow, but on southerly facing slopes and at the lower elevations they could run on the hard ice crusts beneath, giving them that extra distance and bulk.

Especially avoid terrain where sluffs can pile up deeply, including creek beds, gullies and tree wells at the lower elevations.

Avalanche Problem 3
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Cornices are enormous, and continue to build day after day. Avoid travel below these mammoths, and stay well back from the edge on top – they break back much further than expected.

Classic cornice

weather

A weak trough will cross the area today, keeping skies mostly cloudy and temperatures cold. Light snow showers could add up to a trace to 2” of snow by evening. 8000’ highs will warm into the mid teens, 10,000’ highs a few degrees above zero. The south to southwest to westerly winds are forecast to remain light at the mid elevations, but could increase slightly at the 11,000’ peaks and ridges, with averages in the 15 to 25 mph range. Stronger winds are expected tonight and tomorrow, with the next storm to arrive Sunday night.

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

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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

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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 occur.