Wasatch Cache National Forest
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 Salt Lake County.

 

AVALANCHE ADVISORY

Friday, February 10, 2006  7:30am
Good morning, this is Brett Kobernik with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your backcountry avalanche and mountain weather advisory.  Today is Friday, February 10, 2006, and it’s about 7:30 am.

 

The Banff Mountain Film Festival will be in town February 21st & 22nd.  This is a benefit for the Utah Avalanche Center.  It will be at Kingsbury Hall on the University of Utah campus.  Shows start at 7pm.  Tickets are $7 and are available at Kingsbury Hall, Art-Tix, the Outdoor recreation Program at the U, or REI.  For more information call 581-8516.

 

Current Conditions:

The current snow surface is a mix of sun, melt/freeze, and wind crusts at all elevations.  If you search around you can find a few areas with soft settled dense powder.  Ridgetop winds are slowly picking up from the north and are averaging around 15 mph with gusts near 30 and into the 50s at the most exposed locations.  Ridgetop temperatures are in the mid teens.

Avalanche Conditions:

Things are quiet in the backcountry as far as avalanches are concerned.  The only activity from Thursday included minor wet slides on some southerly facing slopes.  With cooler temperatures today, wet activity will be even more minimal.  There is not a lot of loose snow around for the winds to transport but with the gusty conditions in the forecast you should pay attention for fresh drifts along the upper ridges.

Bottom Line:

The avalanche danger is generally LOW.  Remember that LOW doesn’t mean NO danger.  Watch for small wind drifts that may crack and surprise you, knocking you off your feet in exposed locations.

Mountain Weather:

Cooler breezy conditions are in store for today.  Skies will be mostly sunny with ridgetop temperatures in the upper teens to low 20s.  Ridgetop winds will be from the north in the 15 to 25 mph range with stronger gusts at the higher locations.  A weak system will affect the area after the weekend bringing little chance for snow.  A better looking change in the weather pattern should start mid week bring  more promising chances for snow.   National Weather Service graphic Forecast. 

 

Announcements:

Click here to check out our new online avalanche encyclopedia.

 

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.

Click HERE for a text only version of the avalanche advisory.

To have this advisory automatically e-mailed to you each day, click HERE. 

UDOT also has a highway avalanche control work hotline for Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, and Provo canyons, which is updated as needed. 801-975-4838.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides flew in yesterday Cascade, Cardiff and Mineral and today they will be in Cascade, Cardiff, Mineral, Days, and Silver and Mill Creek.  For more info, call 742-2800.

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.

Evelyn Lees will update this advisory by 7:30 Friday morning.  Thanks for calling.