Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Salt Lake Area Mountains Issued by Evelyn Lees for Wednesday - January 25, 2017 - 6:48am
bottom line

The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE at the upper elevations and on mid elevation slopes facing northwest through southeast. All other backcountry avalanche terrain has a MODERATE danger, including low elevation slopes. Avalanches 1 to 3 feet deep can be triggered, on slopes and remotely from a distance. Careful snow pack evaluation, cautious route finding and conservative decision making are essential for the backcoutnry traveler in avalanche terrain today.

There is unusually weak snow at the lower elevations – avalanches can be triggered below 8000’. Avoid steep slopes and terrain traps such as gullies, creek beds, and trails and roads below steep banks where even a small slide can pile snow up deeply.




special announcement

If you sign up for AmazonSmile and designate the Utah Avalanche Center as your favorite charity, they will donate a portion of everything you spend to the UAC. I doesn't cost you a penny and we'd really appreciate the help.

TONIGHT!! Drew will be hosting the Fireside Chat at the Black Diamond store this Wednesday at 7pm. Topic: Expert Intuition in High Risk - Low Frequency Events. Best if you have a decent grasp of the different avalanche problems, but all are welcome to this informal, low key, picnic - style gathering.
current conditions

It’s feeling like winter out there, with upper elevation temperatures dancing around zero this morning. Very low-density snow is falling from the sky, with 3 to 6” of snow reported, capping off the past week’s storm totals of 3 to 6 feet. The westerly winds are just a breeze – averaging less than 10 mph at all but the highest peaks. This still puts the wind chills well below zero.
recent activity

In the backcountry, there were reports of collapsing, with two slides triggered remotely. One was on a NW facing slope at 8500’ in Days Fork and the other in McDonalds Draw, along the Park City ridge line. A ski cut released a slide on a SW facing slope in Beartrap that propagated to 200' wide. Avalanche reduction work at resorts produced numerous small to large storm snow avalanches with explosives and ski cuts. And finally, we got a 4 am report from upper Little Cottonwood of sensitive long running sluffs in the newest snow.

Left - Glew photo – Bear Trap, SW facing, 2 feet deep by 200’ wide Right - Malone photo: Big O, McDonalds, North facing, 3’ deep by 150’ wide
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

STORM SNOW SLABS: There are layers of low density snow from early in the storm that were still acting as a weak layer in yesterday’s avalanches. These layers will be less sensitive today, but you can still trigger new snow soft slabs on steep slopes of all aspects and elevations. They will be most likely on a slope that was wind drifted during the storm.

CORNICES: cornices always seem to break back further than expected, even onto what looks like “flat” terrain along the ridge lines.

LOOSE SNOW SLUFFS: there are reports this morning of sensitive, long running sluffs on slopes that received over 6” of snow overnight.
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

Before the storm started last week, the old snow surfaces included small grained facets on some slopes – and this weak layer will be much slower to strengthen. Avalanches breaking on facets are tricky and more dangerous. They can be triggered remotely from a distance or from low angle slopes below. When the facets become more stubborn over time, then avalanches can break above you when you’re mid slope. These faceted weak layers are most widespread in wind sheltered, shady mid elevation terrain.

There are also a variety of buried thin and thick crusts, some with associated facets, on southeast through west facing slopes and at the lower elevations. These crust/facet layers can act as weak layers or bed surfaces, and distribution is complicated.

weather

A weak storm will bring periods of snow to the mountains today, adding a few more inches of the lightest 3% density fluff. Temperatures will only warm to 10 degrees at 10,000’, and the westerly winds should remain light all day – averaging 5 to 15 mph, with only the highest peaks gusting above 20 mph.

Occasional light snow and cold temperatures will continue tonight and Thursday before high pressure moves in to dominate the weather starting Friday.

general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please help us out 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.

To get help in an emergency (to request a rescue) in the Wasatch, call 911. Be prepared to give your GPS coordinates or the run name. Dispatchers have a copy of the Wasatch Backcountry Ski map.

Backcountry Emergencies. It outlines your step-by-step method in the event of a winter backcountry incident.

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry, but no one is hurt and you do not need assistance, please notify the nearest ski area dispatch to avoid a needless response by rescue teams. Thanks.

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.

Powderbird Helicopter Skiing - Blog/itinerary for the day

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

Ski Utah mobile snow updates

To those skinning uphill at resorts: it is critical to know the resort policy on uphill travel. You can see the uphill travel policy for each resort here.

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.