Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Salt Lake Area Mountains Issued by Evelyn Lees for Saturday - January 3, 2015 - 6:19am
bottom line

The avalanche danger is MODERATE on any steep slope with fresh drifts of wind-blown snow. These sensitive drifts will be most common on upper elevation slopes facing northeast through southeast, but could occur in any upper elevation terrain. The danger is also MODERATE for the isolated chance of triggering a deeper slide breaking on a buried weak layer of faceted snow. This poor snow pack structure is most widespread on upper elevation slopes facing northwest through east and mid elevation northeasterly facing slopes.




special announcement

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The Solitude Beacon Park in Big Cottonwood Canyon is now up and running, and is located at the west end of the lower parking lot (left photo). The Snowbird Little Cottonwood Beacon Park is located on the by-pass road below the heliport. Canyons beacon park is up and running, too, located mid mountain.

current conditions

Skies are mostly cloudy, temperatures in the teens, and a few snowflakes are falling in the mountains. The weak cold front passing over the area has also kicked up the westerly winds across the highest peaks since midnight, with average speeds of 35 to 40 mph, and gusts in the 50s. Once you drop below the high elevation wind zone, average wind speeds are much more civilized at 15 mph, with occasional gusts to 30.

Steeper southerly facing slopes are crusted and may not soften today; the hard wind drifts formed by the easterly winds are most common along ridgelines, but are also scattered on open slopes well off the ridgelines. Shady, wind sheltered slopes harbor good settled powder, if you can avoid old tracks.

recent activity

The only avalanches reported from the backcountry yesterday were a couple very small wet loose sluffs from mid-day heating on mid elevation, south facing slopes.

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

A new batch of cracky wind slabs will be created today along the highest ridges and peaks. With westerly winds, these drifts will be most common on the east ½ of the compass. However, the winds are channeled by the terrain, and can pile snow drifts onto other aspects at the highest elevations. The wind speeds are not expected to increase at the mid elevations today, but if they do where you are, watch for and avoid any fresh wind drifts.

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

It is a wild card, but there is still an isolated place or two where a deeper slide could be triggered in upper elevation terrain facing northwest through east and mid elevation slopes facing northeast, especially if it gets freshly wind loaded today. Slopes with a poor snow structure and a shallower snowpack are most suspect.

The snow pit profile below from Wilson Glade shows a shallower snowpack (110 cm = 3.6 feet) with poor snow pack structure - two snow layers mid pack and near the ground are weaker, with faceted crystals, and have a hand hardness that is less than the slab.

weather

A shallow cold front will bring increased winds and a chance for light snow today, with accumulations of only a trace to an inch. The west to northwesterly winds will generally be in the 10 to 15 mph, with gusts to 30. But along the highest ridgelines they will crank for most of the day – 35 to 45 mph averages at times, with gusts to 65. Temperatures will be in the teens to low 20s today. Partly cloudy skies tonight, with winds decreasing slightly. Sunday through Tuesday, a moist northwest flow will set up across northwest Utah, with warming temperatures and occasional light snow.

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)

EMAIL ADVISORY  If you would like to get the daily advisory by email you will need to subscribe here.​ 

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

Discount lift tickets are now available at Backcountry.com with more resorts to come soon.  Thanks to Ski Utah and the Utah Resorts.  All proceeds go towards paying for Utah Avalanche Center avalanche and mountain weather advisories.

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.

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you shop from Backcountry.com or REI:  Click this link for Backcountry.com or this link to REI, shop, and they will donate a percent of your purchase price to the UAC.  Both offer free shipping (with some conditions) so this costs you nothing!

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on ebay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your ebay account here and click on ebay gives when you buy or sell.  You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny.

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.