Wasatch Cache and Uinta National Forests

In partnership with: Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center and Utah State Parks.

Avalanche ADVISORY

saturday march 5, 2005

Good morning, this is Craig Gordon with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your avalanche and mountain weather advisory for the western Uinta Mountains. Today is Saturday, March 5, 2005 and it’s 7:00 a.m.

Announcements:

A beacon-training center has been installed at the Nobletts trailhead and “Beacon Basin” up and running!
Many thanks go out to Backcountry Access for supplying all the equipment, Doug Page and all the 
volunteers who provided manpower, Jim Conway who was the brains behind the operation, and the
Kamas and Heber Ranger Districts, along with State Parks and The Utah Snowmobile Association
for their in-kind support. Swing by and check it out before going on the snow. It’s free and within walking 
distance from the parking lot.
 
The Moffit Peak weather station is back in operation. This site was made possible through generous donations
from BRORA, The Utah Snowmobile Association, and the National Weather Service. You can view data by clicking here.

For recent avalanche photos click here.

Current Conditions:

A light southeasterly flow is developing over the area, which brought clearing skies overnight and light winds. Currently, temperatures are in the upper teens along the high peaks and in the low to mid 20’s down along the trailheads. Winds are light and generally from the south, blowing less than 15 mph along the ridges. Even though our lamb-like weather hasn’t brought in a whole lot of new snow lately, soft settled powder riding conditions can still be found on protected shady slopes at mid and upper elevations. On the other side of the compass, the sunny slopes are offering up a reliable melt-freeze crust. And just like the street vendors advertise… it’s darn good corn.

Avalanche Conditions:

The snowpack is mostly stable and rather well behaved. While there may not be epic over the head powder riding to be had, it sure is a great time of year to go out and explore. Travel conditions are at a premium right now with a go-just-about-anywhere kind of base. People have been taking advantage of this and bold lines are being punched out in some rather challenging terrain without incident. Remember, as you’re stating to get into more obscure terrain or areas you’ve never been before, get a handle on the snowpack before diving into some radical bowl or chute.

Also, the sun is getting awfully strong this time of year so when the slope you’re riding on starts to get wet and sloppy, it’s time to move to a cooler aspect. Afternoon clouds may help to squelch some of the wet avalanche activity today, but a good rule of thumb is to avoid steep sun exposed slopes as the day heats up.

Bottom Line:

The avalanche danger is generally LOW today on most slopes and human triggered avalanches are unlikely.

On sun-exposed slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, the danger of wet avalanches may rise to MODERATE with daytime heating and human triggered avalanches will be possible.

Mountain Weather:

We’ll continue to be under the influence of a split flow for one more day, so what that means is a nice sunny start to the day with increasing clouds by late afternoon. Temperatures will be mild with highs at 8,000’ in the low 40’s and at 10,000’ near freezing. Overnight lows will be in the upper teens under clear skies. Drier air moves into the region on Sunday as high pressure becomes the dominant feature of our weather pattern. Clear skies, warm temperatures, and light winds are on tap for about the next week as a ridge of high pressure homesteads over the area. There are no storms in sight.

General Information:

We’re interested in what you’re seeing especially if you see or trigger an avalanche. Call 1-800-662-4140, or 801-231-2170, or email to [email protected] or fax to 801-524-6301 and fill us in with all the details.

If you’d like to schedule a free snowmobile specific avalanche talk and or a field day, please call 801-231-2170.

The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur. I will update this advisory by 7:30 a.m. on Sunday Mar. 6, 2005.

Thanks for calling!