There is a generally MODERATE avalanche danger today. Remember people, this means human triggered avalanches are possible. There may be pockets with a CONSIDERABLE danger in the more wind effected areas that have received the most new snow. This will mainly be in the mid and upper elevation north through east facing slopes of 35 degrees and steeper. Watch for cross loaded terrain features on all aspects and use ski cuts where appropriate. Keep in mind that any direct sun we may see this afternoon can make the new snow become unstable quickly.

I experienced the deepest ski run of my season on Friday. However, this outstanding snow was short lived due to the intense spring sun which made all aspects become damp aside from the steeper more northerly ones. Things will be drastically different today as south west winds ramped up overnight and we've received a shot of heavier density new snow. 4 inches has fallen in Little Cottonwood with up to about 6 inches at Silver Lake in upper Big Cottonwood and about 9 inches in the Ogden area mountains. Looks like the Park City Ridgeline got about 5 inches. Ridgetop temperatures are in the low 20s

There was a handful of skier triggered soft slab avalanches on Friday. The most significant was in East Mineral Fork and was 20 inches deep, 50 feet wide, and ran 400 feet vertical. The weakness was a new snow instability just above the dirt layer. While this layer was active for 3 days after it's formation, it took quite steep slopes to get things to release and I'd expect it will be just that much more stubborn today. There were a handful of heat initiated avalanches on Friday also when the skies cleared. At least one was fairly impressive above the Little Cottonwood highway that one of our observers witnessed running. Even though the new snow received a good amount of direct sun, things didn't come unglued and wet activity wasn't as bad as it could've been.

The majority of the snowfall will taper off this morning. It looks like we'll see continued cloud cover through the day but don't be surprised if we see do some clearing. Wind speeds should decrease as the day goes on but will be a bit gusty still this morning. Ridgetop temperatures will get into the mid 20s. Another little impulse should bring a few more inches of snow tonight. There's still good chances for more snow through Tuesday.

The ability to deal with medical emergencies is a vital backcountry travel skill. On April 9-11, Utah Wilderness Safety will be conducting a Wilderness & Remote First Aid course in SLC. As an added bonus, WMS has agreed to donate a percent of the class proceeds to the FUAC. For more details, go to our events calendar or www.utahwildernesssafety.com/FIRST-AID.html.

SLC: Please contact Alta Central (801-742-2033) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Ogden: Please contact Snowbasin ski patrol (801620-1000/1017) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Provo: Please contact Sundance ski patrol (801 -223-4150) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com and the local resorts donated lift tickets, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Utah Avalanche Center. To get the last few tickets left for Park City, Beaver Mountain, and Sundance – click here at discounted prices.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides flight plan.

Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30:888-999-4019 option 8.

Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.

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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.

We will update this forecast tomorrow morning. Thanks for calling.