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 Saturday March 24, 2007.
Good Morning! This is Craig
Gordon with the
This
advisory covers the terrain from Daniels Summit, to
Current Conditions:
Overnight a cold front began pushing through the
region giving us about an inch or two of snow. The bigger news is temperatures
have finally fallen below freezing at most locations. Currently at 10,000’ it’s
29 degrees and at the trailhead elevations right around 32 degrees. 11,000’ temperatures
are in the mid 20’s. West and southwest winds blew in the 30’s, gusting into
the low 50’s for most of yesterday afternoon and evening, but have backed off
and are now blowing 25 mph with an occasional gust in the low 40’s along the
ridgelines. Riding and turning conditions are going to be variable and
elevation dependant. It may be a morning to have an extra cup of coffee and
wait for a few more inches of snow to stack up, smoothing out the old ruts and helping
to cushion the molar rattling frozen tracks.
Avalanche Conditions:
Finally, some colder temperatures…
and a little new snow! The storm system working its way through the area today
will give us more seasonable temperatures helping to lock up the snowpack, alleviating
some of our wet slab concerns. However, I don’t think it’s a done deal quite
yet and today you’ll need to be aware of two avalanche problems.
First, while it’s a bit
cooler this morning, it’ll take a little more time before the colder air can
penetrate the snowpack and lock up the wet layers of snow beneath the surface. So
for today, there is still a possibility of triggering a wet slab avalanche on
steep slopes at all elevations. While it’s old news, a snowmobiler had a close
call late Monday afternoon when he triggered an avalanche on a steep southerly
facing slope in upper
The second more manageable
avalanche concern today will be new wind drifts that formed yesterday and
overnight along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges. These will be
shallow, predictably breaking at or below you skis or machine, but they‘ve
formed on smooth slick bed surfaces and may have the potential to take you for an
unplanned ride, especially in steep terrain. Slope cuts and terrain management
are going to be the ticket and your best defensive measures on big, open slopes.
Bottom Line:
The danger of triggering wet
avalanches remains MODERATE today on all
slopes steeper than about 35 degrees and the danger will be more pronounced in
steep terrain with a shallow refreeze. A MODERATE avalanche
danger means human triggered avalanches are possible.
There is also a MODERATE danger of triggering a new wind drift, especially
on steep upper elevation slopes.
Mountain Weather:
A
cold front stalled across northern
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 Saturday
March 24, 2007.
This advisory is also available by calling
1-800-648-7433 or
1-888-999-4019.
.