Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Skyline Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Saturday - February 28, 2015 - 6:02am
bottom line

Most terrain has a LOW avalanche danger this weekend.

In upper elevation terrain, above treeline, pockets of MODERATE avalanche danger exist and human triggered avalanches are possible on steep, wind drifted slopes.




special announcement

RESEARCH PROJECT ON UNDERSTANDING TRAVEL BEHAVIOR IN AVALANCHE TERRAIN NEEDS YOU!

Scientists from the Snow and Avalanche Lab at Montana State University are seeking more participants for their project examining decision making and travel in avalanche terrain. Their project aims to collect GPS location information (from your smartphone) and survey responses from backcountry skiers and riders to better understand what types of terrain are used and how decisions are made. Their focus is on backcountry skiers and riders of all abilities and experience.

For more information: www.montana.edu/snowscience/tracks For snowmobilers: www.montana.edu/snowscience/sleds

We just released an exciting, new avy safety video designed specifically for snowmobilers - Knowledge is Powder. https://vimeo.com/113677686

NEW THIS YEAR: You can now receive advisories by email for each region in the state. Go here for details.

current conditions

Finally... some fresh snow! Not an epic storm, but at this point we'll take what we can get. 6" of light density snow fell Thursday night on a supportable, "go anywhere" kinda base. Southeast winds ramped up early this morning and are currently blowing 15-25 mph along the summit. Skies are partly cloudy and temperatures are in the upper teens and low 20's. Riding and turning conditions have vastly improved the past few days... get out and get after it!

For a lean winter, coverage remains pretty good at the upper elevations near the summit.

Steve's snow stake at Miller Flat is begging for more fresh snow... looks like the Skyline will get a little white love soon!

recent activity

No new avalanche activity to report

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

The snowpack is generally stable, but here are a couple of things to keep in mind:

  • It's possible that you could find a small wind drift along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges that might be reactive to the additional weight of a person.These won't be big enough to effect a snowmobiler but perhaps a skier, snowboarder, or snowshoer could get pushed around.
  • If winds or snowfall increase throughout the day, expect fresh drifts to become more widespread and sensitive.

Upper elevation, leeward slopes... this is the kind of terrain where you will find a wind drift or two sensitive to your additional weight.

weather

The storm system just to the south of the Skyline might drift far enough northward to give us a few inches of snow throughout the day. Temperatures climb into the upper 20's and southeast winds blow in the teens and mid 20's along the ridges. Scattered snow showers are expected tonight and a partly cloudy day is on tap for Sunday. A good shot of snow should develop for the region late Monday and linger into Wednesday. Warm and dry for the latter half of the week.

general announcements

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

The information in this advisory is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

This advisory will be updated by 7:00 AM Saturday, March 7, 2015 or sooner if conditions warrant.