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 31, 2007

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time it’s issued, but will be updated on Saturday February 3, 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 31, 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. 

 

There will be a Fundraising Dinner on Friday, February 2, 2007. The dinner will be at The Canyons and Olympic Gold Medal Winner Jim Shea will be the keynote speaker. All proceeds go to support the Know Before You Go avalanche awareness program for young adults. For tickets and information visit www.UtahAvalancheCenter.com or call 801-365-5522. Also, the Canyons will be offering avalanche classes on Saturday and Sunday, February 3rd and 4th.  For more information and to register, call 435-615-3325. 

 

 

Current Conditions:

A cold shot of air along with a bit of moisture slid into the region early this morning, dropping temperatures and a light dusting of snow. By most standards accumulations are meager, but this year we’ll take what we can. Chalk Creek looks like the winner so far with about 3” of new snow. The further south you move in the range snow totals are closer to an inch. Temperatures are in the upper teens at 10,000’ and in the low 20’s at 8,000’. Winds increased late last night as the front passed by blowing out of the north and northwest at speeds of 25-35 mph along the highest ridges. They’ve backed off this morning and are in the 10-20 mph range with an occasional gust in the mid 20’s at the most exposed locations. There are still areas which offer soft settled powder-like conditions and protected mid elevation, low angle slopes seem to be the ticket.

 

Avalanche Conditions:

Last night’s dusting of new snow isn’t going to change the avalanche danger much, but the strong winds that developed overnight may have found enough snow to blow around and form a few shallow soft slabs on leeward terrain at the upper elevations. These predictable new wind drifts will be soft and manageable, breaking around or below a person and should be easy to detect. In addition, you may be able to initiate a sluff or two on steep shady slopes where the old surface snow has grown very weak.

In the bigger scheme of things, the snowpack continues to grow weaker with time, especially in terrain where the pack is less than about two feet or so. Overshadowing the avalanche danger right now is the possibility of slamming into a buried stump or rock.

 

Bottom Line:

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

 

Mountain Weather:

A storm system will push through the area this morning, bringing snow and colder temperatures to the region. Light snow is expected this morning with another 1”-3” possible, before tapering off to scattered snow showers by midday. Highs at 8,000’ will be right around 20 degrees and at 10,000’ in the low to mid teens. Under clearing skies, overnight low temperatures will be near zero.

Winds will be out of the north blowing 10-20 mph with gusts in the low 30’s along the highest ridges. High pressure briefly builds across the region tonight, before another storm system impacts the area Thursday into Thursday night. This system will bring a re-enforcing shot of cold air. High pressure along with a warming trend is expected for the weekend.

 

Announcements:

The first annual western Uinta fundraising ride was an amazing success with nearly 150 people showing up for the ride alone!

I want to thank the Jim Shea Family Foundation, Rocky Mountain Sledders, the Wasatch Snowmobile Association and the Utah Snowmobile Association for all their tireless work in putting the event together. Thanks again to Team Thunderstruck and the Boondockers crew for helping out and schooling even the most experienced riders. Also, we couldn’t have pulled it off if it weren’t for Chad Booth who did an incredible job as both master of ceremonies and auctioneer. Finally, it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of everyone who attended… you folks are awesome!  

 

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 February 3,2007.

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

1-888-999-4019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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