Skyline Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Craig Gordon

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Your observations- snowpack, weather, avalanche, or just plain riding conditions are crucial to the success of this program and will help keep other riders alive! Please tell us what you’re seeing so we can provide the most accurate information. If you see or trigger an avalanche you can reach me craig@utahavalanchecenter.org or call 801-231-2170 or better yet, follow the links here to post your own observations.

Save the date and take a date. Join us and the athletes from Boondockers for a movie night on Thursday Dec. 1st, 7:00 PM at the North Sanpete High School Auditorium on 400E 700S in Mt Pleasant. We’ve got great raffle prizes and a ton of swag to give away! All proceeds go to your local avalanche advisory and outreach program.

Cost: $5 per adult / $2 per child under 12. Each person gets 1 raffle ticket with the entrance fee. Additional raffle tickets will be for sale.

Click here to check out recent observations.

See you back here Saturday November 26th.


BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

This weekend you’ll find pockets of Level 2 (Moderate) avalanche danger on steep, upper elevation, wind drifted slopes and human triggered avalanches are possible.

A Level 1 (Low) avalanche danger is found at mid and lower elevations out of the wind.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

Skies cleared out last night and temperatures dove into the mid teens and low 20’s. Yesterday’s strong west and southwest winds are old news… winds have shifted around to the north and are blowing 15-30 mph along the high ridges. Snowpack on the Skyline is thin. As a matter of fact, with total snow depths only averaging 12”-18” it’s looking pretty emaciated. You can, however, find patches of soft settled powder on upper elevation wind sheltered, shady slopes.


RECENT ACTIVITY

A few natural cornice releases along steep leeward ridges, otherwise a pretty quiet week.


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

Strong winds along the ridges Friday transported what little snow we do have on the Skyline, loading steep, northerly facing bowls and cross-loading terrain features like chutes and gullies. The most likely place to trigger a fresh wind drift will be on upper elevation, leeward terrain facing the north half of the compass. Today’s slabs are easy to detect by their smooth, rounded, chalky-like appearance. Unfortunately, they’ll feel solid under our skis, board, or sled, giving us a false sense that the snow is stable and good to go. Though difficult to trigger, today’s slabs may break wider and deeper than you might expect. While more the exception than the rule be aware- avalanches can break into older, sugary snow near the ground, resulting in a nasty ride over obstacles barely hidden under our very thin snowpack. Your best bet is to avoid any steep, wind drifted slope altogether and stick to lower angle, wind sheltered terrain.

In the big scheme of things the current state of our snowpack is pretty grim. With no real storms in sight, the pack will continue to weaken. Once we do get a big storm or if the winds blow, the avalanche danger will rise and conditions will get inherently tricky. Yesterday Steve and Darce, our observer extraordinaires, stomped around near Miller Flats. Check out their observation and commentary here.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

It’ll be a beautiful, but crisp day on the Skyline. Winds will blow out of the north and northeast at 15-25 mph and should be decreasing as the day wares on. High temperatures climb into the low to mid 30’s with overnight lows diving into the mid 20’s. Sunday should be warmer with light winds on tap. A weak system grazes the region Monday, before warm, high pressure builds for Tuesday. The computer models waffle a bit after the midweek period, but there’s little agreement to a major weather pattern shift in the near future.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you’re getting out and about and trigger an avalanche or see anything interesting please drop me an email at craig@utahavalanchecenter.org or call 801-231-2170

Also, now is a great time to schedule one of our free avalanche awareness presentations for your group or club. Email or call me and we’ll get you booked before things get too crazy.


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.


This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.