Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Wednesday - April 2, 2014 - 5:50am
bottom line

At upper elevations in the wind zone, there are pockets of CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are likely in steep, sustained, wind drifted terrain facing the north half of the compass. While not widespread, once initiated, today's avalanches can break deep and wide, particularly in steep, rocky terrain.

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

Low elevation, wind sheltered terrain and slopes facing the south half of the compass offer a generally LOW avalanche danger.

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current conditions

April showers... bring spring powder! A series of storms sliding through the region stacked up nearly two feet of snow since late Sunday. Southwesterly winds have been smokin' along the high ridges, blowing 30-60 mph the past few days, but began to mellow around 10:00 last night and are currently blowing 10-15 mph. Under mostly cloudy skies, temperatures are cool and in the low to mid teens. Riding and turning conditions are the best they've been all year. Wind sheltered north facing terrain offers deep, cold, in your face, winter-like snow.

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

Click here for trip reports.
recent activity

No news of the weird to report. Archived 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

Winds have been cranking and there's no shortage of snow to blow around and form drifts sensitive to the additional weight of a rider. Spring is a funny time in the mountains and a little bit of sunshine can rapidly stabilize these instabilities. I think the slabs will be most sensitive this morning, especially on steep leeward slopes at upper elevations in the wind zone. While mostly predictable in depth and width, take care that a manageable slide doesn't' get quickly out of hand in steep, technical, unforgiving terrain. Remember- shooting cracks in front of your sled, skis, or board are a strong indicator to unstable snow. Slope cuts on small test slopes like road cuts give you a good barometer for the kind of avalanche dragon you're dealing with. Get some solid BETA by tweaking small slopes before charging into big terrain today.


Ted found sensitive slabs predictably breaking out in front of his skis yesterday, near the ridges in Gold Hill. More on his travels here.

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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

I'm not convinced that somewhere in a range as vast as the western Uinta's, you couldn't find an avalanche that breaks to weak snow near the ground. While there's plenty of slopes offering green light conditions, steep, rocky terrain, facing the north half of the compass remains suspect. Unless you have a detailed history of the slope you plan to ride and know it's avalanched to the ground at some point this season, given the consequences, it's best to avoid terrain with these characteristics.

Avalanche Problem 3
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Strong winds have produced large cornices that may break back further than you might expect. Probably best to avoid being on or under these unpredictable monsters.
weather

Mostly cloudy skies and a few passing snow showers are on tap for today, but in general we're drying out as the bulk of the storm dives south. West and northwest winds should remain reasonable, in the 10-20 mph range with a few gusts in the 30's along the high ridges. Temperatures climb into the mid 20's before dipping into the teens overnight. High pressure builds Thursday, but a weak storm slides through the region late Friday into Saturday.
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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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 Apr. 5, 2014 or sooner if conditions warrant.