Salt Lake Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Drew Hardesty

BOTTOM LINE

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


Danger Rose Tutorial

The avalanche danger is a solid Level 2 (Moderate), particularly in the upper reaches of the Cottonwoods. Human triggered wind drifts 12-18” deep or so are still possible on steep north through southeast facing slopes at the higher elevations. Roof-a-lanches may be a concern with today’s sun and warming, even at the lower elevations. Use good travel protocol and good communication today.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

With clearing skies, mountain temperatures have plunged into the single digits, with sinking colder air driving drainages and basins temps below zero. Winds remain west to northwest at less than 15mph. The highest anemometers are spinning 30 with gusts to 40. Riding conditions are good (not excellent – this is Utah remember) where sheltered from Sunday’s stronger northwesterly winds, though more often than not, you’re – as Mark White likes to say – “bottom feeding” on the underlying wind and sun crusts.


RECENT ACTIVITY

Quite active in the backcountry yesterday, particularly in the upper reaches of Little Cottonwood. This terrain garnered the most snow and wind and observers reported widespread manageable sensitive soft slabs up to a foot deep. Activity centered on the higher wind drifted terrain facing north through southeast – Toledo Chutes, Rocky Point, north-facing Cardiff Fork, even a few pockets off Kessler Peak in mid-BCC.

A very experienced party, however, suffered a very close call while traversing beneath Little Superior (aka the Black Knob) along the Cottonwood ridgeline. Two were caught, carried, and partially buried when the higher person triggered the 1-3’ deep and 80’ wide pocket just below the ridge. This terrain – a southeast facing slope at 10,400’ - had been variably wind loaded, sitting on, and perhaps collapsing a thin melt freeze crust with very weak snow below. Regardless, they reported no injuries or lost gear, and I respect the report. These near-misses, especially from very experienced parties should be viewed as a cautionary tale.

Observers in the Ogden area mountains reported little to no significant activity yesterday and my outing along the south side of Timpanogos above Provo turned up little instability but surface sluffing in the low density snow. More info on the Provo advisory.


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
No trend identified.

Increased sun and warming may conspire to keep some of the wind drifts sensitive to human triggering today. Newer drifts are still possible from the overnight winds and will be in similar terrain as yesterday’s. Still, they’ll be less hair-trigger as yesterday and common mitigation techniques such as dropped cornices or slope cuts will be effective. WARNING! These mitigation techniques can be dangerous in and of themselves and should be only practiced by experienced personnel. They’ll be most pronounced on northeast through east through southeast facing terrain and predominantly just off the ridgelines.


THREAT #2

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Sun-induced natural and human triggered sluffing will again be likely in the protected low density snow and will only pose a danger in the steepest, confined terrain.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

Clear skies will give way to increasing clouds by midday as moisture streams through the north of the building ridge of high pressure. Terrain to the north may see an inch or two over the next couple of days. Mountain temps will rise to the low 20s at 10,000’ and the mid-20s at 8000’. The northwesterly winds will blow 20-25mph and increase slightly as the day wears on.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following agencies 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.

Salt Lake – Alta Central (801-742-2033)

Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017)

Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150)

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com, Alta, Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Wolf Mountain, Snowbasin, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Sundance, and Solitude have donated a limited number of tickets for sale 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.

Free UAC iPhone app from Canyon Sports.

Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE.

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

We appreciate all your avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email to uac@utahavalanchecenter.org

Donate to your favorite non-profit – The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

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.


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.