Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Salt Lake Area Mountains Issued by Trent Meisenheimer for Thursday - March 16, 2017 - 4:47am
bottom line

The overall avalanche danger is MODERATE today for loose wet avalanches, falling cornices, and glide avalanches. With above freezing temperatures overnight and warm temperatures expected today, decent riding conditions will only exist during a very short window this morning. As riding conditions deteriorate, the avalanche danger will increase.
special announcement

Spring Special: We have a few donated Snowbird, Snowbasin, Solitude, and Brighton discount lift tickets left and have just lowered the price. Ski a day and benefit the Utah Avalanche Center! Order here.

Little things can make a big difference if caught in an avalanche. Read all three installments from guest blogger Tom Diegel. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
current conditions

Under partly cloudy skies - temperatures once again did not drop below freezing last night. 11,000' overnight temperatures bottomed out at 35°F. 10,000' overnight temps hit a low of 41°F. 7500' current temperatures are 48°F. Southerly winds picked up this morning ahead of a weak, mostly dry front. Current upper elevation wind speeds range 15-25 mph with gusts into 40's. My gut tells me that some slopes exposed to the wind have a shallow crust this morning while others do not. Any thin/shallow refreeze will be gobbled up quickly this morning by the intense March sun rays and above average temperatures. North facing slopes at high elevations are a mix of "wind crusts, sastrugi, or boiler plate" snow. Golf anyone?

recent activity

Usual round of wet activity during the heat of the day. Observers commented and are noticing glide cracks opening up in places and getting larger. Brighton ski patrol did note cornices falling in some northerly facing terrain on their periphery.

Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 12 hours
description

Overnight temperatures were above freezing on all aspects and elevations throughout the mountains of northern Utah. It will not take much additional sunshine this morning to start the melting process and cause wet avalanches. Some wet slab avalanches are possible depending on where and how liquid water percolates though the snowpack.

The best strategy is to start your day early and be out of avalanche terrain during the heat of the day. Avoid being on or underneath steep slopes that are receiving direct sunshine. If you start seeing roller balls on the same aspects you're riding - it's time to move to cooler aspects.

Mark Staples - has a really cool observation of him spreading powdered Tang on the snow surface to see where liquid water was moving in the snowpack. Check it out HERE.

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

Cornices break unpredictably both in location and timing. However, they are more prone to breaking during hot weather. Avoid being under or on top of these monsters. They can break well beyond the apex of the ridgeline.

Brody Leven was kind enough to share this close call he had with a cornice just the other day while ridge traversing on Timpanogos. He's a very experienced professional skier and it goes to show we need to pay attention when walking on ridges with cornices littered all over the place. Thanks for sharing such a great video with us Brody!

Avalanche Problem 3
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Glide avalanches are just as unpredictable as cornices, but they too are more likely to release during periods of warm weather. Glide cracks are places where the entire snowpack has separated and moved downhill. The start of a glide crack can indicate where glide avalanches can occur, and it's best to avoid being under any slope showing these deep cracks in the snowpack. Common places for glide avalanches are Stairs Gulch, Broads Fork, and Mill B South of Big Cottonwood Canyon, but they can occur other places. Observers in the Provo area mountains also reported new glide cracks starting to open up.
weather

A super weak system will scratch by northern Utah this morning. Unfortunately, it won't be bringing any moisture with it. Winds speeds will increase out of the west-south-west today as the dry front sweeps by. Upper elevations will see speeds of 15-25 mph with gusts into the 40's. Periods of thin to partly cloudy skies with very warm temperatures again. There is another equally weak system moving in on Saturday that could bring rain to 9000'. A more wet and unsettled pattern is shaping up for early next week.

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 occur.