In partnership with: Utah Division of State
Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department
of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and
AVALANCHE ADVISORY
Friday, December 02, 2005 7:00am
Good morning,
this is Brett Kobernik with the
Wasatch Touring will sponsor the 1st annual
Avalanche Roundtable discussion on Monday, December 5th at 7:30 pm in
Memory Grove at the Memorial House. Three avalanche survivors will tell
their stories, including mountaineer Jeff Lowe, and locals Rick Hoffman and
Steve Walcher. It is free and open to the
public.
The 1st annual Wasatch Winter Film Festival (a.k.a.The
White Room), featuring local amateur ski & snowboard films, will be
held at Prospector Square Conference Center in Park City this Saturday,
December 3rd, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. The White Room is a fundraiser
for the
Current Conditions:
We are awaiting the arrival of a cold front that looks like it won’t produce as
much snow as originally thought but should give us another 8 inches or so. Up to 4 inches of snow fell in the mountains
overnight. Temperatures at 8000 feet are
32 degrees or just above while ridgetop temperatures are in the upper 20s. Ridgetop wind speeds are 20 to 25 mph from
the southwest with gusts into the 60s at the more exposed locations.
Avalanche Conditions:
Three skiers were
caught in separate avalanches on Thursday.
All were caught, carried and ended up on the surface uninjured. I have more details on the 364-1591 line and
will have additional information on the web before 9am. Check HERE for details
when they’re ready.
The first two skiers triggered wind
slabs that were formed over the last couple of days. These broke above the Thanksgiving storm
layer. The third skier triggered a pocket
that broke into old snow from before Thanksgiving. These avalanches clearly illustrate the two
types of problems we need to watch for again today. (Current
Snow Profile)
The first problem is fresh wind slabs. With continued winds overnight I would still
expect to find a number of these especially along the upper elevation ridges on
northeast facing slopes. Yesterday, ski cuts and cornice drops were
effective in revealing these but they will probably be more stubborn today
letting you get farther out on them before cracking.
The next problem is weakness with the deeper buried
facets. We have not received a rapid
enough loading event to produce a widespread avalanche cycle yet although
people are finding pockets that are avalanching. These are in steep rocky terrain where the
snow pack is shallower. They can be well
off of the upper ridgelines. Cracking
and collapsing are stern reminders that you are in areas that have this
potential.
Bottom Line:
This morning the
avalanche danger is MODERATE. This means human triggered avalanches are
possible. You will most likely find
these in fresh drifts on northeast facing slopes steeper then 35 degrees at the
upper elevations. There is also a MODERATE danger in
steep areas that have a shallow, rocky snowpack which can be found in upper
elevations and lower elevations as well and generally on the northern half of
the compass. Pay attention out there as
today is not a day to go out on just any slope.
THE DANGER WILL BE INCREASING WITH ADDITIONAL
SNOW AND WIND.
Mountain Weather:
Snow should start
late this morning and continue through the day with 8 inches possible. Ridgetop temperatures will drop into the
lower 20s. Ridgetop winds will start out
stronger and decrease into the 20 mph range switching to the northwest.
A series of shortwaves will affect the area this weekend bringing periods
of snow but no significant storm event is scheduled. Ridgetop daytime temperatures will drop into
the single digits as a cool northerly flow sets in for early in the week.
Seasonal Weather History Charts. (NOTE: USE INTERNET EXPLORER FOR BEST VIEWING)
Please
report any backcountry snow and avalanche conditions you observe. We appreciate all information. You can 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.
To
have this advisory automatically e-mailed to you each day, click HERE. (You must re-sign up this season even if you
were on the list last season.)
The annual report for 2004-05 is now on the web.
(Click HERE,
8mb)
Evelyn
Lees will update this advisory Saturday morning. Thanks for calling.