Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Wednesday - February 11, 2015 - 5:26am
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In the wind zone at and above treeline, the avalanche danger is MODERATE and human triggered avalanches are possible, especially on steep slopes facing the north half of the compass. In addition to fresh wind drifts, avalanches have the potential to break deeper and wider than you might expect, especially in steep, rocky terrain.

Out of the wind the avalanche danger is generally LOW.




special announcement

RESEARCH PROJECT ON UNDERSTANDING TRAVEL BEHAVIOR IN AVALANCHE TERRAIN NEEDS YOU!

Scientists from the Snow and Avalanche Lab at Montana State University are seeking more participants for their project examining decision making and travel in avalanche terrain. Their project aims to collect GPS location information (from your smartphone) and survey responses from backcountry skiers and riders to better understand what types of terrain are used and how decisions are made. Their focus is on backcountry skiers and riders of all abilities and experience.

For more information: www.montana.edu/snowscience/tracks For snowmobilers: www.montana.edu/snowscience/sleds

We just released an exciting, new avy safety video designed specifically for snowmobilers - Knowledge is Powder. https://vimeo.com/113677686

NEW THIS YEAR: You can now receive advisories by email for each region in the state. Go here for details.

current conditions

High pressure is building in the wake of Monday nights storm which delivered a much needed 8"-10" of white paint. The North Slope was the benefactor of this storm and new snow totals are closer to 4" on the south half of the range. Skies are clear this morning and temperatures winter-like, in the mid teens. Spoiler alert... east and north east winds increased around 10:00 last night and have been gusting into the 30's and 40's along the highest peaks, probably damaging some of our big open terrain. However, hunt around a little and you'll be rewarded with dense, creamy snow on wind sheltered slopes.

Click here for real-time temperatures, snowfall, and winds.

recent activity

Ted triggered this pocket near Bald Mountain yesterday and posted a poignant and insightful write up recounting decision making and terrain choices. It's definitely worth the read from a very experienced and respected avalanche professional. Click here for more details.

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

Monday's storm snow was rather well behaved and most backcountry riders report manageable wind drifts in steep, leeward terrain. Fresh slabs are gonna be today's most obvious avalanche dragon, however, we can't ignore the strong prefrontal west and southwest winds that ramped up Monday and formed a cohesive slab which now rests on a thin layer of sugary snow underneath the recent storm. Avalanches breaking to old snow are an outlier for sure, but several wind events this winter stripped upper elevation east and northeast facing terrain, leaving behind a shallow snowpack that is now weak and sugary, especially in steep, rocky terrain. In either case, today you'll want to look for and avoid any fat, rounded piece of snow, especially if it sounds hollow like a drum.

Recent avalanche activity on Double Hill in Whitney Basin. Not widespread, but definitely large enough to roll you.

Regions with a deeper snowpack offer manageable avalanche conditions.


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

Cornices have grown large and are breaking back a bit further than you might expect. In addition, there's a chance that once initiated, a large block of corni can trigger a slab as it crashes down on the slope below.

weather

It'll be a stunning day in the mountains with sunny skies, diminishing winds, and temperatures rising into the low to mid 30's. Temperatures gradually warm through the end of week and winds remain light. Perhaps a bit of a pattern change for early next week.

Yes... it has been unusually warm.

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.

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on ebay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your ebay account here and click on ebay gives when you buy or sell.  You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny.

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 Saturday Feb. 14, 2015.