Wasatch Cache and Uinta National Forests

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

Tri-City Performance, Polaris, the Utah Snowmobile Association, the National Weather Service, BRORA, and Backcountry Access.

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Avalanche advisory

sundAY january 22, 2006

This advisory expires 24 hours from the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:30 am wednesday january 25, 2006.

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 Sunday, January 22, 2006 and it’s 7:00 a.m. Avalanche advisories for the western Uintas are available on Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and all holidays.

This advisory covers the terrain from Daniels Summit, to Mirror Lake, to the North Slope of the western Uinta Mountains. That’s a lot of turf and I can’t be in all of these places at once. Your snow and avalanche observations are critical to this program and help to save other riders lives by getting accurate information out to the public. I’m interested in what you’re seeing especially if you see or trigger an avalanche. Please call 1-800-662-4140, or 801-231-2170, or email to [email protected] and fill us in with all the details.

Announcements:

“Beacon Basin” is good to go and ready to use at the Noblett’s Trailhead. While you’re waiting for your partners 
to gear up, swing by and test your avalanche beacon skills. It’s free and easily accessible from the parking lot. A big thanks 
goes out to members of the Utah Snowmobile Association for assisting in the installation and to Backcountry Access for 
providing all the gear. 
 
A special thanks to Tri-City Performance, Polaris and The Utah Snowmobile Association for stepping up to the plate 
and partnering to provide a new sled for the Utah Avalanche Center’s western Uinta avalanche forecasting program. 
 
The Moffit Peak weather station is up and running. This site was made possible through generous donations
by BRORA, The Utah Snowmobile Association, and the National Weather Service. You can view data by clicking here.

For avalanche photos click here.

Current Conditions:

Cold air remains in place over the region and under partly cloudy skies this morning, temperatures are in the low teens at 8,000’ and near zero along the highest ridges. There’s hardly a whisper of wind even at the most exposed locations. In the past 24 hours we’ve received about 3” of very light density fluff and by all accounts the riding conditions are about as good as they can get.

Avalanche Conditions:

Other than a few wind drifts formed at the upper elevations by yesterday’s morning winds, the snowpack is mostly stable. The current snowpack structure is fantastic for stability and people have been taking advantage of this and punching out some pretty bold lines without incident. While the avalanche danger may be generally low, that does mean there’s no avalanche danger. Today you’ll want to be on the lookout for any old wind drift that was formed in the past few days and use the usual amount of caution when getting into steep terrain. Even a small slide can take you for a body bruising ride through a group of trees or carry you over a cliff. Looking into the future…the wet weather pattern is about to change and we’ll go high and dry for a good portion of this week. Unfortunately, this is bound to create some weak surface snow and may pose a problem once the next round of storms start rolling back in.

Bottom Line:

Most areas have a stable snowpack and the avalanche danger is generally LOW.

If you’re getting into steep, radical terrain at the upper elevations, be alert for recent wind drifts. Above tree line there are pockets of MODERATE avalanche danger on slopes approaching 40 degrees in steepness. A MODERATE avalanche danger means human triggered avalanches are possible.

Mountain Weather:

After a morning flurry or two, skies will be clearing throughout the day as high pressure begins to take control of the weather pattern. It’ll be cold out there today with highs at 8,000’ reaching into the low 20’s and at 11,000’ in the low to mid teens. Overnight lows will be near zero degrees. Winds should be a non-issue, remaining light and variable throughout the day, blowing less than 10 mph along the ridges. The upcoming week looks sunny with slightly warmer temperatures each day. By Thursday, highs should be getting into the lower 40’s. The next best shot of snow looks to be around Friday.

General Information:

If you haven’t taken one of our free snowmobile specific avalanche awareness classes, schedule one now before things get too crazy. Give me a call at 801-231-2170 and I’d be happy to tailor a talk for your group.

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.

This advisory expires 24 hours from the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:30 am on Wednesday January 25, 2006.

Thanks for calling!