Wasatc h
Cache National
Forest
In partnership with: The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center, Utah Department of Public Safety Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, and Utah State Parks
The Utah Avalanche
Center Home page is: http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/
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Avalanche advisory
Friday,
December 17, 2004
Good Morning. This is Drew Hardesty with the
We’d like to give a
big Thanks to one of our avalanche education partners, Brighton Ski Resort, for
hosting last night’s very successful ‘Know Before You
Go’ avalanche awareness talk.
Wasatch Backcountry
Rescue will be having a fundraiser Saturday night in
A free
Current Conditions:
Under clear skies, mountain
temperatures are slightly inverted and are about 5-10 degrees warmer than this
time yesterday. The winds have increased
overnight while backing to the northwest and are now averaging 20-25mph along
the most exposed ridgelines. Southerly
slopes are mostly supportable and should soften nicely for some good corn
skiing while the off aspects provide the comic relief – with a few patches of
settled powder here and there.
Avalanche Conditions:
Explosive testing by the
Wasatch Powderbird Guides in upper Days and Cardiff produced spotty results,
with the most noteworthy in Main Days, averaging 2-4’ deep by 300’ wide. There
were no other reports of human triggered activity, but a party in White Pine
experienced a wide collapse on a northwest slope at 8000’. It’s true that our weak layers have gained a
bit of strength and the overlying slab is a bit stiffer and stronger, but I’d
imagine a few booby traps are still lurking out there. Yes, it’s that time again when we start to
sound like a broken record……where the potential of triggering a slide is one
thing, but the consequences are something else.
Continue to follow safe travel rituals such as crossing suspect slopes one-at-a-time
and making a plan before jumping into something.
click HERE
for a generalized snow profile graphic
Bottom Line (SLC,
The avalanche danger is MODERATE with CONSIDERABLE
consequences on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, facing northwest thorough
east. If you want LOW danger today, stay on
slopes less than 30 degrees and out from underneath steeper slopes.
Mountain Weather:
We’ll see partly cloudy skies
with ridgetop winds out of the northwest to the tune of 20-25mph. 8000’ highs will be about 40 degrees with
10,000’ temps around 32. Cool northerly
flow follows for early in the week with a couple storms possible by Tuesday.
For more detailed weather
information visit the National Weather
Service web site.
Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew
in Silver, Day’s and
To report backcountry snow
and avalanche conditions, especially if you observe or trigger an avalanche,
call (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email to [email protected] or fax to
801-524-6301. The information in this
advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its
content. This advisory describes general
avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
Evelyn Lees will update this advisory by 7:30 on Saturday
morning.
Thanks for calling!
________________________________________________________________________
For an explanation of
avalanche danger ratings: