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
Saturday,
January 28, 2006 7:30am
Good morning, this is Evelyn Lees with
the
Current Conditions:
This morning is the calm before the storm,
and just may be the time to skip the Outdoor
Retailer show and catch a few face shots before full
storm conditions and a rising avalanche danger arrive by late this afternoon. Snow totals were about a foot in the
Avalanche Conditions:
Yesterday, the new snow was very sensitive through out
the range, with soft sluffs and slabs easily triggered on steep slopes of most aspects.
Most slides were less than 20 wide, but
a few were as large as 150 wide and 18 deep.
Those on southerly facing slopes with a slick underlying ice crust were
running especially fast and far. Only a
few of these soft, new snow slides posed any danger to a person, mainly in terrain
where a ride would take you through trees or deposit you in a gully bottom. Observations
indicate slides were running both within the new snow and more importantly, on faceted
snow that exists on many slopes.
Unfortunately, the current avalanche conditions are a very
different beast than the stable snow of the last few weeks. All the ingredients for an active slide cycle
are in place, with the complicating factor being the faceted snow. Though the slides will not be significantly
deeper than new snow only activity, slides breaking out on facets have the
potential to be wider, can be triggered from a distance, and have the nasty habit
of breaking out above you.
Be alert for a rising avalanche danger throughout the day. The strengthening winds will increase the danger
even before the snow starts to fall, and any fresh wind drifts will be easy to
trigger on steep slopes today. As the
danger increases today, seek the safer lower angle, wind sheltered terrain and
avoid travel below steep slopes.
Bottom Line:
Today is a day of rising
avalanche danger. This morning the avalanche
danger is moderate, but it will rapidly rise to CONSIDERABLE
by this afternoon due to increasing wind and additional snow. Human triggered avalanches will be probable
on many steep slopes, and natural avalanches will be possible. The danger will continue to rise, and may
reach HIGH overnight.
Mountain Weather:
A fast moving Pacific storm system will impact northern
Click here for the National
Weather Service graphic Forecast.
Announcements:
Early birds and snow
geeks can catch our 6AM report at 364-1591.
You can find our mountain
weather forecast here
by about noon each day.
3rd Annual
Backcountry Awareness Week Monday Jan 30-Sunday February 5
Fundraising
Dinner February 3rd at 6pm with speakers Conrad Anker and Apa
Sherpa. For more info, call Snowbird at
933-2147. Visit www.backcountryawareness.com
for more details.
Check out our new graphical advisory format. You can update your bookmarks to this link:
http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/newadvisory/advisory.php
Click HERE for a text only
version of the avalanche advisory.
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.)
UDOT also has a highway avalanche control work
hotline for Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, and
The
Wasatch Powderbird Guides did not fly yesterday, and today they will fly in Mineral,
Please
report any backcountry snow and avalanche conditions. Call (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, email [email protected] or fax 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.
Drew Hardesty will update this advisory by 7:30 Sunday morning. Thanks for calling.