Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Friday - January 31, 2014 - 5:08am
bottom line

Above treeline in the wind zone a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exists and human triggered avalanches are likely. Terrain to avoid- steep, upper elevation, wind drifted slopes, particularly those facing the north half of the compass. Once triggered, avalanches have the possibility to break deep and wide, creating a dangerous avalanche.

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

Go to terrain- If you're looking for LOW avalanche danger, head to wind sheltered terrain, especially where there are no steep slopes above or adjacent to where you're riding.
special announcement

Join the Utah Avalanche Center and Boondockers on Feb 20 and 22 for another avalanche & riding skills class. Registration is open now. Note that we changed the date from the original class posting.

current conditions

A few snow flurries linger over the mountains this morning as the region remains in a moist northerly flow. Temperatures crashed into the single digits overnight and winds are very light, just blowing 5-10 mph even along the high peaks. Wednesday night storm was good to us and most of the eastern front received a much needed foot of creamy, new snow. The riding and turning conditions are outstanding.... get out and get after it!

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

Click here for trip reports and avalanche observations.
recent activity

It was a little hard to see the big terrain yesterday, though most slopes seem pretty well behaved with surface sluffing in the storm snow the main attraction.

Trent put together a brilliant tutorial describing the kind of avalanche dragon we're dealing with. Click here to view.

Recent avalanche activity is found here.
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

I suspect yesterday's wind slabs have relaxed somewhat and probably aren't quite as sensitive as they have been the past few days. None-the-less, any wind drift you encounter has the possibility to break deeper and wider than you might expect, especially on steep, leeward slopes in the wind zone. Today, you'll want to look for and avoid any fat, rounded, pillow of snow. Remember- shooting cracks out in front of your sled, skis, or board are big signs of unstable snow.

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Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

More dangerous, is the possibility of triggering a slide that breaks to weak snow near the ground. While water totals didn't add up like anticipated, this was a sudden change to our snowpack and I think many slopes just need a trigger to come along and kick the legs out from underneath. Any avalanche that breaks into deeply buried weak layers will be very dangerous. I'd continue to avoid steep, upper elevation, rocky slopes, especially those facing the north half of the compass.
weather

Partly cloudy skies with a passing flurry or two are on tap for the region today. Winds remain light and northerly, blowing 10-15 mph along the high peaks. Temperatures rise into the low 20's during the day, crashing to near zero overnight. Looks like we'll see off and on snow showers with little accumulation through Saturday and a drying trend is slated for Sunday.
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]

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Utah Avalanche Center mobile app - Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools.

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 Feb. 1, 2014