Wasatch Cache and Uinta National Forests

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

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

  

 

 

Avalanche ADVISORY

WEDNESDAY january 24, 2007

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time it’s issued, but will be updated on Saturday January 27, 2007.

 

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 Wednesday, January 24, 2007 and it’s about 7:00 in the morning. Avalanche advisories for the western Uinta’s are available on Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and all holidays and are brought to you in partnership with Utah State Parks and Recreation.

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 801-231-2170, or email at [email protected] and fill me in with all the details. 

 

Come join us for a star studded fundraising ride on Saturday Jan. 27th. Click here for more details or call 801-963-3819.

 

 

Current Conditions:

High pressure remains firmly entrenched over the region and this morning skies are mostly clear, winds light and variable, and temperatures are in the mid 20’s along the ridges and at the trailhead elevations. Riding and turning conditions are surprisingly good considering the lack of any significant new snow. The best bet for soft settled powder is sheltered shady slopes at mid elevations.

 

Avalanche Conditions:

This may be the shortest avalanche advisory I’ve ever posted. Other than a few shallow wind slabs along the highest ridges and maybe a sluff or two on steep shady slopes, the snowpack is mostly stable and the avalanche danger generally low. While it’s unlikely you’ll trigger an avalanche today, think about the consequences of getting tangled up in even a shallow slide, especially if you’re punching out bold lines in steep radical terrain. Getting knocked of your skis our sled and slamming into a group of trees or carried over a cliff would definitely ruin your day.

In the bigger picture, our snowpack has lost quite a bit of strength both at the surface and near the ground as a result of the January dry spell. Once it starts snowing or blowing again… watch out. The weak, sugary faceted snow that’s been created by cold clear days and nights won’t take much of a load before it starts avalanching.

 

Bottom Line:

On most slopes throughout the range the avalanche danger is generally LOW today and human triggered avalanches are unlikely.

 

Mountain Weather:

High pressure will remain across the area through mid-week, resulting in mostly sunny skies mild temperatures. Highs today at 8,000’ will be near 40 degrees and at 10,000’ in the low 30’s. Overnight lows dip into the low 20’s. Winds will be out of the north blowing 5-15 mph with an occasional gust in the 20’s along the highest ridges. Thursday and Friday look similar, though there is a slight chance of a weak system clipping the region on Saturday. Given the track record of recent storms, we’re probably looking at some clouds and a few flurries.

 

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!

 

We installed Beacon Basin at the Noblett’s Trailhead and it’s good to go. I want to thank Doug, Bill, Jared, Brad and Wally who

unselfishly took time out of their powder day to help out the riding community… you guys rock!

 

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 7:00 am on Saturday January 27, 2007.

This advisory is also available by calling 1-800-648-7433 or

1-888-999-4019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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