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 Sunday March 25, 2007.
Good Morning! This is Craig
Gordon with the
This
advisory covers the terrain from Daniels Summit, to
Current Conditions:
A weak weather disturbance raced through the area
late yesterday afternoon, depositing about an inch or two of new snow at the
upper elevations. Southeasterly winds increased as well, blowing in the 20’s
and 30’s along the highest ridges and in past hour or so, have been averaging 30
mph with gusts in the low 40’s. With mostly clear skies the snowpack received a
solid refreeze and temperatures are in the mid 20’s at 8,000’ and it’s 22 degrees along the high peaks. Riding and turning
conditions are much improved with a few inches of dry powder to be had on upper
elevation north facing slopes and “darn good” corn ready for harvest on sunny
slopes. Lower elevation snow is rock hard in the morning and if you’ve got scratchers,
they’ll certainly save burning through a hi-fax before the snow softens.
Avalanche Conditions:
It’ll be a spectacular
day in the mountains as we’re finally back to a spring-like pattern of warm
sunny days and cold clear nights. The below freezing overnight temperatures are
locking the snowpack in place and I haven’t heard of any new avalanche activity
since a snowmobiler
triggered a sizeable wet slab in upper Weber Canyon late Monday afternoon.
The ticket for today is to get on the snow early and follow the sun around as
it warms the snow surface. East aspects will soften first followed by
southeast, south, southwest and finally west. Riding on steep sun-exposed
slopes too late in the day will increase your chances of triggering a nasty wet
slab avalanche on all aspects and at all elevations. In terrain where the
snowpack is shallow and weak, avalanches may break into older layers of snow
deeper in the pack or even near the ground. So, if you’re spinning your track
down beneath the supportable crust or post holing knee-deep in wet soup, it’s
time to get onto a cooler slope or perhaps just call it a day. When it’s all
said and done you should be off the snow and back to the rig sharing lies and enjoying
a cold drink before the snow gets too gloppy.
Bottom Line:
The avalanche danger is
generally LOW this
morning, increasing to MODERATE on all sun-exposed slopes steeper than about 35
degrees with daytime heating. A MODERATE avalanche danger means human triggered avalanche are
possible.
Mountain Weather:
Dry
and mild weather is on tap through the weekend, but it does look like the
pattern will change by about Tuesday. Today skies will be mostly sunny and
highs at 8,000’ will reach into the low 50’s, at 10,000’ near 40 degrees. Overnight
lows should dip into the mid 20’s. Winds will be out of the east this morning
blowing 10-20 mph with gusts in the 40’s along the highest ridges, but should
turn more northerly as the day wares on and will mellow out by about lunch
time. Sunday looks about the same. A weak cold front moves through the region
on Monday, producing scattered snow showers and gusty southerly winds. South
winds will become strong Monday night and persist into Tuesday. An upper trough
will push a cold front into the region on Tuesday and this will sweep across
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 Sunday
March 25, 2007.
This advisory is also available by calling
1-800-648-7433 or
1-888-999-4019.
.