Salt Lake Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Brett Kobernik

BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

Most slopes are stable this morning, though the avalanche danger will rise to MODERATE for wet loose sluffs with daytime heating.  There also remains an isolated MODERATE danger for triggering a deep slab avalanche, mostly on north through east facing terrain at the mid and upper elevations.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

Overnight temperatures remained very mild with many stations above 9000 feet right around 30 degrees or better and warming.  Temperatures are cooler in the valley and drainage bottoms.  Winds are fairly light with an easterly component at many locations.  Skies are mostly clear.

 

The snow surface remains a mix of crusts with near surface faceting occurring.  This is breaking down some of the crusts and making the surface snow somewhat weak.  We’ll keep an eye on it and take it into account as a potential weak layer for the next storms.


RECENT ACTIVITY

No avalanche activity was reported from Saturday.  One group did experience a collapse and shooting cracks while ascending in an area that had previously avalanched and filled back in with snow.  (DETAILS)


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 8 hours.

The southerly facing slopes have gone through a few melt freeze cycles now.  This will make the sun’s job of loosening the snow more difficult today.  But, with the mild overnight temperatures and clear skies expected, wet slides are at least worth a mention on the southerly facing slopes.


THREAT #2

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

The second concern worth mentioning is the continued potential to find a spot where you may be able to trigger something breaking into old snow near the ground.  The collapse I mentioned demonstrates this.  Most areas seem quiet for right now but if you poke at it enough you’ll probably find a trouble spot especially in those thinner areas above around 9000 feet that face north through east.  In addition, a classic human factor is that mild weather can make people take greater risks, so stay focused as you’re traveling today.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

The string of warm, sunny days in the mountains will continue, with highs today in the mid 30’s along the ridges, and mid 40’s at 8,000’.  Winds will be light with a slight easterly component to them.  We’ll see more of the same through the mid portion of the week with a change in the weather pattern toward the end of the week.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

 Yesterday, Wasatch Powderbird Guides skied in Silver Fork, Days Fork, Cardiff Fork, Mineral Fork and the Cascade Ridge.  Today they’ll be in American Fork, Lambs Canyon, Francis Peak and the Sessions.  Their operations planning page is here.

 

The last of the Brighton Discount tickets have been reduced to $45, with all proceeds going to the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center.  Click HERE for details.

 

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center is hosting a Level 2 avalanche class in February which is now open for registration by going to the Black Diamond retail store.  More information is HERE.  

 

Tickets are now available for the annual Backcountry Awareness Dinner on February 13th, with registration through the Snowbird Renaissance Center.

 

Beacon training parks are up and running!  There is one at Snowbasin, one on the Park City side at the top of Canyon’s gondola, one in Little Cottonwood near the Snowbird parking structure on the bypass road, and in Big Cottonwood a training  park is at the west end of Solitude's lower parking lot.

 

If you want to get this avalanche advisory e-mailed to you daily click HERE.

For a text only version, the link is on the left side bar, near the top.

 

UDOT highway avalanche control work info can be found by calling (801) 975-4838. Our statewide toll free line is 1-888-999-4019 (early morning, option 8).

 

The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.  To find out more about how you can support our efforts to continue providing the avalanche forecasting and education that you expect please visit our Friends page.

 

Your snow and avalanche observations help everyone in the backcountry community.  Please let us know what you're seeing by leaving a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@utahavalanchecenter.org. (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.  This advisory does not apply to ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally conducted.

 

Bruce Tremper will update this advisory by 7:30 tomorrow morning.


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.


This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.