We are doing a free avalanche talk tonight at Black Diamond which will focus on the deep slab issue and how to deal with complex radical terrain. Speakers are Brett Kobernik, Dave Richards and Andrew McClean.

There remain pockets of a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger on west through north through east facing slopes in the upper elevations. Many steep slopes facing west through north through east are still unpredictable. Many seasoned backcountry travelers continue to avoid them.

We picked up a trace to an inch of snow late Wednesday. Overnight temperatures were in the upper teens to mid 20s and winds were light to moderate from the northwest.

No new avalanches were reported from Wednesday. A few folks have noted surface hoar that has been buried in tact under yesterday’s skiff of snow or from some recent drifting. It will be important to figure out if this scenario is widespread in distribution. I’m asking you to do a little homework for us and see if you can find surface hoar that’s been buried in tact as you travel today and let us know what you find.

We’ll see clouds continuing to break and temperatures getting into the low 30s at 8000 feet and mid 20s along the ridges with light to moderate northwest winds. A series of storms are lined up starting Saturday but they all look like they’re attempting to split. This follows the pattern of our winter up to now so I don’t have high hopes for any significant snowfall but we may get enough to freshen things up out there.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams 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)

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

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Wasatch Powderbird Guides does daily updates about where they'll be operating on this blog http://powderbird.blogspot.com/ .

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