Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Salt Lake Area Mountains Issued by Brett Kobernik for Tuesday - December 30, 2014 - 7:16am
bottom line

A CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger will once again be in place for the northerly facing steep higher terrain. Dangerous human triggered hard slab avalanches are likely. Pay attention to any drifting that may occur along the high terrain if the east wind increases more than forecast. This could form slabs on west facing terrain where we don't usually see them. Also, people without good avalanche assessment skills should avoid steep snow covered slopes in the foothills where wind is drifting snow.




avalanche warning

THIS AVALANCHE WARNING IS FOR CANYON MOUTHS AND FOOTHILLS OF CACHE...DAVIS...WEBER AND EASTERN SALT LAKE COUNTIES. STRONG WIND WILL CREATE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WIND SLAB AVALANCHE CONDITIONS IN LOW ELEVATION AREAS WHERE PEOPLE DO NOT NORMALLY SEE AVALANCHES. AVALANCHE DANGER IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE TODAY AND CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY.

current conditions

Riding conditions were outstanding the last few days. Surface conditions contain powder snow that has had very little wind effect up to now. We have east winds that are blowing hard in the valleys but are quite well behaved along the high ridges for now. We're only seeing gusts into the 20s at the most exposed locations. Temperatures are cold with most stations just below zero and readings as low as -10 degrees Fahrenheit.

recent activity

A large human triggered avalanche occurred on Mt Kessler in Big Cottonwood on Monday. It broke out on the 5th time they were ascending the skin track and broke well above them into terrain where they previously had been. DETAILS One person was briefly caught and pushed around a bit but that was the extent of the incident. This avalanche follows the pattern of late: a thick hard slab hidden by recent low density snow on a northeast slope above 9000 feet triggered by people who have spent numerous years in the backcountry. We'll try and confirm the weak layer today but I suspect it was the mid pack weakness that has produced numerous avalanches lately.

Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

It is obvious that the mid pack weakness is still active. It doesn't work that well to try and "out think" it. All you can do is give it some time. These buried weak layers are always most active during and just after adding weight from new snow like we just did. While the new snow is very light, a volume of 5% density snow measuring 300'x500'x1.5' is about 700,000 lbs. We know we have buried weak layers. We know we just added weight on top of them. You do the rest of the math.

Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Drifting snow needs to be considered today also. Weather models as well as the lead forecaster here at the National Weather Service say the east winds won't get alarming along the ridges like they are in the valleys. Well, let me tell you a little story about east winds. Myself and my collegues have blown avalanche forecasts based on anticipated light east winds. I don't trust them to not drift the low density snow. End of story.

weather

We'll have partly cloudy skies and cold temperatures today. Anticipate ridgetop highs only in the single digits. East wind speeds are supposed to stay in check along the ridges. Anticipate gusty conditions in the canyon bottoms and valleys especially north of Salt Lake. Cold temperatures and easterly flow continue into Wednesday.

general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

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 and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033), Canyons Resort Dispatch (435-615-3322)

Snowbasin Resort Dispatch (801-620-1017), Powder Mountain Dispatch (801-745-3772 x 123).

Sundance Dispatch (801-223-4150)

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DAWN PATROL Hotline updated daily by 5-530am - 888-999-4019 option 8.

Twitter Updates for your mobile phone - DETAILS

UDOT canyon closures:  LINK TO UDOT, or on Twitter, follow @UDOTavy, @CanyonAlerts or @AltaCentral

Utah Avalanche Center mobile app - Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides Blog/Itinerary for the Day.  

Lost or Found something in the backcountry? - http://nolofo.com/

Ski Utah mobile snow updates

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To those skinning uphill at resorts:  it is your responsibility to know the resort policy on uphill travel.  You can see the uphill travel policy for each resort here. IMPORTANT: Before skinning or hiking at a resort under new snow conditions, check in with Ski Patrol.  Resorts can restrict or cut off access if incompatible with control and grooming operations.

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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 exist