Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains | utahavalanchecenter.org

Avalanche Advisory

Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains	Issued by Craig Gordon for Friday - December 27, 2013 - 5:58am

bottom line

Terrain to avoid- steep, upper elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass, particularly those with an easterly component to their aspect, where a HIGH avalanche danger exists and human triggered avalanches are very likely. A CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger is found on mid elevation shady slopes and human triggered avalanches are likely. In either case, once initiated, today's avalanches will break deep and wide creating an unmanageable and dangerous slide.

Upper elevation south facing terrain offers a MODERATE avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are possible on steep wind drifted slopes.

If you're looking for LOW avalanche danger, head to low elevation terrain or slopes facing the south half of the compass which had very little snow prior to last Thursday's big storm

special avalanche bulletin

HUMAN TRIGGERED AVALANCHES LIKELY IN MANY AREAS OF NORTHERN UTAH.

The combination of recent snow resting on pre-existing weak layers has created unstable avalanche conditions. Beautiful weather and lot's of people heading into the mountains during the holidays during these dangerous avalanche conditions is just the recipe for an accident. Keep off of and out from underneath steep mid and upper elevation slopes that face west through north through east.

special announcement

The Utah Avalanche Center wishes you a safe and powder-filled holiday season. Please consider the UAC in your holiday giving plans - your donations pay for these advisories and we can't do this without your help. What is it worth to you every day to get an avalanche and mountain weather advisory? The cost of a beverage or the gas it takes to get up the canyon? You can donate here.

Give the gift of STOKE! There are still a few slots open for our Avalanche and Riding Skills Workshop with Boondockers. Click here for more info.

current conditions

As valley inversions build, the place to be is in the mountains where the air is clear, the temperatures are in the mid 20's, and northwest winds are blowing 10-20 mph along the ridges. Riding and turning conditions are stellar with wind sheltered, mid elevation terrain harboring soft, creamy snow.

Click here for current winds, temperatures, and snowfall throughout the range.

Click here for trip reports and avalanche observations.

recent activity

This sled triggered slab broke to the ground in Chalk Creek on Tuesday.

Trent and I went to our favorite test slope near Currant Creek Peak on Tuesday and remotely triggered this slide which broke 3'-5' deep and 150' wide, failing on old snow near the ground. Check out Trent's great viddy describing the setup.

Avalanche Problem 1

type	aspect/elevation	characteristics
		LIKELIHOOD LIKELY UNLIKELY SIZE LARGE SMALL TREND INCREASING DANGER SAME DECREASING DANGER over the next 24 hours
description Nothing has changed since yesterday and reports of recent avalanches breaking to the ground confirm a basic snow stability fact- strong snow over weak snow.... no beuno. Of course, sunny skies, warm temperatures, and fresh snow can help fuel our stoke to ride powder, but the snowpack doesn't feel our same emotion.These are exactly the kind of conditions that lead to close calls and accidents. Our snowpack is tricky, particularly on mid and upper elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass. The persistent weakness buried in the mid portion of our snowpack and the weak, sugary snow near the ground isn't going away anytime soon. We can't change the snowpack, but we can change the terrain we choose to ride in. Steep leeward slopes in the wind zone, especially those with an easterly component to their aspect, are right in the bullseye of the avalanche dragon sights today. This is the type of terrain that needs to be avoided, because if we do trigger an avalanche it will get out of hand very quickly, breaking wide and deep, taking out the entire seasons snowpack, and creating an unmanageably dangerous slide.. Wanna shred steep terrain? Head to mid elevation slopes facing the south half of the compass which had very little old snow prior to last weeks big storm and in many cases storm snow fell on bare ground. This is go to terrain for today. A road cut like this is a great place to tweak a steep slope with no consequence and see how it's reacting before getting in big terrain. Here, Trent investigates this small slide that broke to weak snow near the ground yesterday.

type

aspect/elevation

characteristics

LIKELIHOOD

LIKELY

UNLIKELY

SIZE

LARGE

SMALL

TREND

INCREASING DANGER

SAME

DECREASING DANGER

over the next 24 hours

description

Nothing has changed since yesterday and reports of recent avalanches breaking to the ground confirm a basic snow stability fact- strong snow over weak snow.... no beuno. Of course, sunny skies, warm temperatures, and fresh snow can help fuel our stoke to ride powder, but the snowpack doesn't feel our same emotion.These are exactly the kind of conditions that lead to close calls and accidents. Our snowpack is tricky, particularly on mid and upper elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass. The persistent weakness buried in the mid portion of our snowpack and the weak, sugary snow near the ground isn't going away anytime soon. We can't change the snowpack, but we can change the terrain we choose to ride in. Steep leeward slopes in the wind zone, especially those with an easterly component to their aspect, are right in the bullseye of the avalanche dragon sights today. This is the type of terrain that needs to be avoided, because if we do trigger an avalanche it will get out of hand very quickly, breaking wide and deep, taking out the entire seasons snowpack, and creating an unmanageably dangerous slide..

Wanna shred steep terrain? Head to mid elevation slopes facing the south half of the compass which had very little old snow prior to last weeks big storm and in many cases storm snow fell on bare ground. This is go to terrain for today.

A road cut like this is a great place to tweak a steep slope with no consequence and see how it's reacting before getting in big terrain. Here, Trent investigates this small slide that broke to weak snow near the ground yesterday.

weather

High pressure gives us a sunny, warm day in the mountains. Winds remain in the 10-20 mph range and temperatures climb into the mid 30's with overnight lows dipping in the mid 20's under a veil of thin clouds. A splitting storm system brings a slight chance of light snow Saturday, along with cooler temperatures. High pressure rebounds and there are no big storms in sight.

general announcements

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can call me directly at 801-231-2170, email [email protected], or email by clicking HERE

This is a great time of year to schedule a free avalanche awareness presentation for your group or club. You can contact me at 801-231-2170 or email [email protected]

Donate to your favorite non-profit –The Utah Avalanche Center . The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

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The information in this advisory is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

I will update this advisory by 7:00 AM on Saturday Dec. 28, 2013

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