Uintas Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Craig Gordon

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

For the past ten years the UAC and snowmobile community have worked closely together and the fruits of our cooperative labor are obvious- more riders are avy savvy, they’re wearing the right avalanche safety gear and taking advantage or our outreach… that’s the good news. Now the bad news. Last spring the Beacon Basin at Noblett's was vandalized and several beacons were stolen and I've exhausted every avenue to locate them.

 

 I bring this to everyone’s attention not as an angry rant, though I almost went ballistic when we discovered this, but more as a matter of public safety. The beacons that were stolen are factory rejects and don’t work properly… they can only transmit a signal and don’t receive. So, if you hear of someone who got a screamin’ deal on a BCA Tracker recently, you might wanna have them check the functionality of their beacon. Better yet, have them contact me and maybe we can get our gear back so we can continue to provide riders with these valuable resources that save lives. I can be reached at 801-231-2170 or craig@utahavalanchecenter.org... no questions asked.

 

 


BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

The avalanche danger is generally LOW.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

Skies remained clear for most of the night allowing temperatures to dip into the mid 20's at 10,000' and near freezing down at the trailheads. West-southwesterly winds are on the rise, blowing 15-25 mph along the ridges with gusts in the mid 30's along the high peaks. No new snow has fallen in over a week and it's getting downright discouraging out there. With only a foot of heat crusted, wind worked snow on the ground, there's barely enough base to even ride on grassy slopes.


RECENT ACTIVITY

No avalanche activity reported or observed.


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 24 hours.

While most of our snowpack is capped with wind and sun crusts, there may be an isolated old wind slab or two along the high ridgelines that could still be sensitive to the weight of a person. However, with the lack of a uniform snowpack the chances of slamming into a trauma-inducing rock or stump greatly outweigh the chances of triggering an avalanche right now.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

The tail end of a weak cold front brushes northern Utah this morning offering cooler temperatures, a few clouds and just maybe a flurry or two. Northwest winds will be a nusance at the upper elevations, gusting in the 40's this morning before mellowing out later in the day. High temperatures today at 8,000' should hover right around freezing and at 10,000' in the mid to upper 20's. Under clear skies overnight lows should dip into the mid teens. The ridge rebounds late in the day and we should see a return to warm, dry weather through early Tuesday. We might see some light snow on Tuesday, but a better bet for an organized storm materializes Wednesday and Thursday. Right now it appears the bulk of the moisture may dive south. I don't think we'll get skunked on this one, but it doesn't look like a huge snow producer for us.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Remember- your observations help to save other rides lives. So if you see or trigger any avalanches please let me know what your seeing. You can reach me at 801-231-2170 or craig@utahavalanchecenter.org

While it's quiet, now is a great time to schedule a free avalanche awareness class for your group or club. You can reach me at 801-231-2170 or craig@utahavalanchecenter.org for more details.

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated with a holiday forecast by 7:00 am on Wednesday Nov. 26, 2008.


This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done.  This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.


This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.