Wasatch
Cache and Uinta National
Forests 
In partnership with:
Tri-City Performance, Polaris, the
holiday Avalanche ADVISORY
monDAY
decemBER 25, 2006
The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after
the date and time it’s issued, and will be updated
Good Morning and Merry
Christmas! This is Craig Gordon with the
This
advisory covers the terrain from Daniels Summit, to
Current Conditions:
Under partly cloudy skies
this morning, temperatures remain inverted and currently it’s in the low teens
at 8,000’ and in the mid 20’s at 10,000’. Along the ridges winds picked up
about 11:00 last night with hourly averages hovering right around 15 mph and
gusts in the mid 20’s. At the most wind exposed upper elevation ridge top locations;
winds are gusting into the low 40’s. Saturday night’s little system helped add
a fresh, albeit shallow coat of white paint and the riding conditions remain soft
and creamy on sheltered shady slopes. Upper elevation wind exposed slopes
experienced quite a bit of wind damage and aren’t worth the extra effort.
Avalanche Conditions:
Yesterday I found
fairly widespread sensitive slabs, though they were mostly confined along the
leeward side of the highest ridgelines throughout the range. The slabs were
softer than I thought they’d be and very reactive to my additional weight. As a
matter of fact I experienced plenty of cracking and it was fairly easy to start
small manageable avalanches on steep test slopes with little consequence. I didn’t
get into any big, committing terrain yesterday because I still don’t trust the snowpack
and I think the consequences far outweigh any cerebral powder buzz. It won’t be
quite as sensitive today, but if you’re getting into steep, wind loaded, upper
elevation terrain, especially slopes facing northwest through southeast, be on
the lookout for and avoid any fat looking wind drifts. These are most prominent
near the ridgelines, but don’t be surprised to find a drift or two lower down
on the slope or cross loaded in a chute or gully. You may still be able to
trigger a deeper avalanche into older snow wherever a strong stiff hard
slab rests on top of weak shallow snow. (Check out this recent
snowpit on
Today, take a
minute or two and carefully evaluate the snowpack by digging down with your
hands our shovel and see what the snow you’re riding on looks like. If you’ve
got strong snow, or a slab, on top of weak surgary
snow… you’ve got a problem. Also, be alert to hollow sounding snow or cracking
around your sled, board or skis. Finally, assess the slopes you’re planning to
ride and think about the consequences of triggering an avalanche.
Bottom Line:
In upper elevation terrain at and above tree line
the avalanche danger is MODERATE
today on slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, especially those with
both old and recent deposits of wind drifted snow. A MODERATE avalanche danger means human
triggered avalanches are possible.
In wind sheltered terrain and at lower elevations
the avalanche danger is generally LOW today and human triggered avalanches are unlikely.
Mountain Weather:
High
pressure remains over the area through late Tuesday, though light snow showers
with little accumulation tease us for the next 24 hours or so. Today we should
see partly cloudy skies and an afternoon snow flurry or two. High temperatures
at 8,000’ will be near 30 degrees and at 10,000’ in the mid 20’s. Overnight
lows under mostly cloudy skies should only dip into the low 20’s. Winds will be
westerly blowing 10-15 mph with gusts in the 30’s at the most wind exposed
locations. Moisture begins to increase on Tuesday and the first chance of
measurable snow should work into the region late Tuesday night. We should see a
decent shot of snow for most of the day Wednesday with scattered snow showers
lingering into Thursday morning. I’m cautiously optimistic that storm totals
should be in the 10” range. High pressure and a northerly flow build for
Friday/Saturday with another system possible for late in the weekend.
Announcements:
Come join us for a star studded fundraising ride on
Saturday Jan. 27th. Click here
for more details.
I want to thank the crew at Tri-City Performance in
Springville along with Polaris and the Utah Snowmobile Association for
partnering with the avalanche center and stepping up to the plate by providing
a new sled for this season! Click
here, to
see the new
ride!
Free avalanche awareness classes are available. Give
me a call at 801-231-2170 or email [email protected]
and get one scheduled before the season gets too crazy!
If any terms confuse you, take a look at our new avalanche encyclopedia.
For avalanche photos click here.
General
Information:
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’ll update this
advisory by
This advisory is
also available by calling 1-800-648-7433 or
1-888-999-4019.
.