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 information update

wednesday april 18, 2007

 

This avalanche information update covers the terrain from Daniels Summit, to Mirror Lake, to the North Slope of the western Uinta Mountains. I’m still interested in your snow and avalanche observations, especially if you see or trigger an avalanche. Please call 1-800-662-4140, or 801-231-2170, or email to [email protected] and fill us in with all the details.

 

Thank you… Thank you… Thank you!

I’d like to thank those of you who helped to support this program all season. In particular, big thanks goes out to Utah State Parks and Recreation, the Kamas and Evanston Ranger Districts, the Utah Snowmobile Association, Tri-City Performance, Polaris Snowmobiles,  Park City Powder Cats, the National Weather Service, BRORA, Backcountry Access and all of you who were diligent in calling in timely snowpack and avalanche observations.

Also, very special thanks go to Tri-City Performance, Polaris and The Utah Snowmobile Association for stepping up to the plate 
and partnering to provide a new sled for the Utah Avalanche Center’s western Uinta avalanche forecasting program.

Finally, huge thanks go to Ted Scroggin for his outstanding contributions to this program. His snow and avalanche observations, illustrative photos and education efforts helped save lives this winter. I appreciate Ted’s dedication in keeping people on top of the greatest snow on earth rather than buried beneath it!

 

Avalanche Conditions:

It’s the end of the line for this season’s avalanche advisory, of course it’s not by choice, it’s because the warm mid-March temperatures and lack of snow have put the snowpack about a month ahead of schedule. Looking at snow and water numbers for the region, this season will go down in history as one of the warmest and driest in the past 70 years. Most snow study sites are only about 45-60% of normal.

While we’ve ended our regularly scheduled avalanche advisories for the season, of course that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any more avalanches. In fact, spring snowstorms are quite common in Utah and it’s not unusual for the mountains to receive significant snowfall well into the month of June. Dry, new snow avalanches frequently occur during and right after a storm, but with warm temperatures and strong sunshine, it doesn’t take long for the snow to heat up, increasing the chance of wet avalanches. When the snowpack goes several nights without a good solid refreeze, deep wet slab avalanches will be possible, especially in steep, rocky terrain. Given this year’s unusually weak snowpack, avalanches may still break into weak layers of snow near the ground (This snowmobiler triggered avalanche and this natural wet slab  are excellent examples of weak snow around rock).

In the absence of my avalanche advisory here are a few pointers to help you make your own snowpack and avalanche danger evaluations.

In general you can count on several types of avalanche conditions in the spring. Whenever we get a storm the avalanche danger will rise, as the new snow might not bond well to the existing hard, slick crust it falls on. As always, recent avalanche activity as well as cracking and collapsing of the snowpack are dead giveaways the snow is unstable. Even if these clues  don’t present themselves, be sure to do some tests on smaller slopes that are similar in aspect, elevation and slope angle to what you want to ride on. Choose test slopes that have minimal consequences, especially after a significant snowfall. A well placed slope cut will give you a good feel for the stability of the slope. If there is much wind associated with the storm or if there is snow available for transport before it gets cooked into place, expect to find potentially unstable wind slabs  on leeward  slopes.

Also, when the sun first comes out and the snow goes through its initial rapid warm up, avalanches will be likely on steep slopes.

You can expect the usual round of wet slides and occasional wet slabs, but fortunately new snow instabilities tend to stabilize rather quickly in the spring due to the warm temperatures. As usual, you’ll want to get off of and out from underneath steep slopes during the heat of the day and avoid terrain traps such as gullies or steep road cuts.

Even though it feels like summer, remember to continue to be diligent with your safe riding techniques and carry a beacon, shovel and probe.

Keep up on current weather conditions with a NOAA weather radio, or on the internet at http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/slc/

View expired avalanche advisories from this past season by clicking here.

 

Announcements:

I completed a preliminary investigation on the avalanche accident that occurred on Saturday Feb.17th in Buck Basin and it can be found here.

 

We removed the Windy Peak weather station for the season and want to thank Park City Powder Cats for their partnership in helping to maintain the site. We’ll have it up and running in the same location next winter.

 

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!

 

If any terms confuse you, take a look at our new avalanche encyclopedia.

 

For avalanche photos click here.

 

General Information: 

It’s not too early to book a free snowmobile specific avalanche awareness class for next year and you can give me a call at 801-231-2170 and I’d be happy to tailor a talk for your group.

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.

Have a safe spring and summer. I’ll update this advisory next fall when the snow starts flying again.

This advisory is also available during the winter season by calling 1-800-648-7433 or 1-888-999-4019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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