Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Wednesday - March 11, 2015 - 5:28am
bottom line

At and above treeline, on steep slopes facing the north half of the compass you'll find pockets of MODERATE avalanche danger and human triggered slides are possible. Avalanches triggered in steep, rocky terrain have the potential to break deeper and wider than you might expect and could get quickly out of hand.

On the other side of the compass, the danger of wet avalanches may rise to MODERATE on steep sunny slopes during the heat of the day.

Most other terrain offers a LOW avalanche danger.
special announcement

HUGE thanks to Park City Powder Cats for their great partnership and very generous donations to the Avy Center... y'all rock!
current conditions

Despite clear skies overnight, temperatures are in the upper 20's and low 30's this morning, southerly winds are stating to increase into the teens and low 20's along the high peaks. I'll be honest... it's a bit rugged out there. Lower elevation trailheads and roads are melting fast, and many old tracks are hard and set up... about as user friendly as a Jersey barrier. But gain a little elevation, swing around to slopes facing the north half of the compass, and you'll still find soft, settled, creamy snow on a go-anywhere base.

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

A little grim down low.

It's worth the ride to experience the stunning surroundings.
recent activity

Triggered on Sunday by the fifth person on the slope, this pocket broke to weak, sugary snow near the ground on a steep, rocky slope with a thin, weak snowpack. It's a great example of why persistent slabs are so tricky.
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

While not widespread, hard to trigger, and even harder to detect, today's avalanches still have the potential to break to weak snow near the ground. Our usual suspects come to mind... steep, rocky slopes with a thin, shallow snowpack. If you're getting into terrain with these characteristics remember- even a small slide breaking to the ground could quickly get out of hand, especially in steep committing terrain.
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

It's March and the sun is getting intense. As the day heats up and particularly if you're feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass, you'll want to get off of and out from under steep, sunny slopes. In addition, avoid terrain traps like gullies and road cuts where wet, cement-like debris can pile up very deeply.

Todays heat will make cornices more tender and they may break further back than you'd expect.
weather

Expect increasing clouds, very warm temperatures, and southerly winds increasing throughout the day. Highs reach into the upper 40's and winds ramp up into the 40's and 50's along the high ridges. A weak system brings an inch or two of snow overnight and into Thursday, before high pressure builds for the end of the week.
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 Saturday Mar. 14, 2015.