In partnership with:
Tri-City
Performance, Polaris, the
The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after
the date and time it’s issued, but will be updated Wednesday March 14, 2007.
Good Morning! This is Craig
Gordon with the
This
advisory covers the terrain from Daniels Summit, to
Current Conditions:
Yesterday’s little storm system deposited 2”-3” of
medium density snow above about 9,000’ and now high pressure is building over
the area this morning, resulting in clear skies and winter-like temperatures. Currently
it’s 17 degrees at the trailheads and in the low 20’s along the ridges. Winds
were calm overnight, but started to increase around 3:00 this morning, out of
the east-northeast and are now blowing 15-25 mph along the high mountaintop
locations. Our recent bout of warm temperatures has created a supportable-go-anywhere
kind of base and very good riding and turning conditions will be found,
particularly on shady mid and upper elevation slopes.
Avalanche Conditions:
Snow is a lot like people…
when it goes through a rapid change it gets cranky. Today’s blistering
temperatures along with a strong dose of sunshine are going to make the
snowpack irritable in a couple of different ways. First the most obvious- wet
avalanches will become more widespread as the day heats up, so you’ll want to
get off of and out from under steep, sun-exposed slopes during the heat of the
day. Remember- the sun is high and it’s penetrating even low and mid elevation
north facing slopes which harbor some of our weakest snow. Wet loose avalanches
triggered on steep slopes at lower elevations could break into older snow near
the ground, creating a larger slide than you might expect. As the day heats up
you’ll also want to avoid terrain traps such as gullies and steep road cuts
where avalanche debris could pile up very deeply.
The not so obvious
avalanche problem will be the ongoing possibility of triggering a deeper, hard
slab avalanche which breaks into weak faceted snow in the mid portion of our
snowpack, especially in upper elevation terrain on slopes facing the north half
of the compass. Yesterday a rider unintentionally
triggered an avalanche 2’-3’ deep, 50’ wide, running 1000’ vertically while
climbing a steep, northeast facing slope at about 11,000’ in elevation in the
Mary Ellen Gulch of
Bottom Line:
In
upper elevation terrain, at and above tree-line the avalanche danger is MODERATE today on all slopes steeper than about 35 degrees
with both old and recent deposits of wind drifted snow and human triggered
avalanches are possible. Be aware that
within this terrain there is a MODERATE danger
of triggering
a deep, dangerous old hard slab especially on steep, rocky upper elevation
slopes with a shallow weak snowpack and large, dangerous human triggered
avalanches are still possible.
Finally, the danger of wet
avalanche activity will increase to CONSIDERABLE during the heat of the day on steep sun exposed slopes.
A CONSIDERABLE avalanche
danger means human triggered avalanches are probable, natural avalanches
possible.
Mountain Weather:
Sunny skies, light winds and downright balmy temperatures
are on tap today and Monday as the ridge of high pressure strengthens over our
area. Highs at 8,000’ will be in the mid to upper 40’s and at 10,000’ near 38
degrees. Overnight lows should drop into the mid 20’s. Winds will become more
northerly but should remain in the 10-20 mph range with occasional gusts in the
low 30’s along the highest ridges. Monday’s weather looks similar, then a
westerly flow sets up for late Tuesday ushering in colder air though little in
the way of measurable snow. High pressure returns for the latter half of the
week.
Announcements:
I completed a preliminary
investigation on the avalanche accident that occurred on Saturday Feb.17th
in
The
I’d like to thank Jim Shea, The Canyons and Colleen
Graham from the Friends of the UAC for all their hard work in making the Know
Before You Go fundraiser such a success!
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
Wednesday March 14, 2007.
This advisory is also available by calling
1-800-648-7433 or
1-888-999-4019.
.