Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Tuesday - February 9, 2016 - 4:27am
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At and above treeline, especially in the wind zone, a MODERATE avalanche danger exists and human triggered avalanches are possible on steep, wind drifted slopes. Any avalanche that breaks to weak, sugary snow near the ground has the potential to be deep and dangerous. Remember- MODERATE avalanche danger means we can still trigger large avalanches in isolated areas.

Wind sheltered terrain that is under 30 degrees in slope steepness is the ticket for finding both LOW avalanche danger and great riding conditions.




current conditions

High pressure continues home-steading across the region and skies are clear. Most mountain locations report temperatures in the mid and upper 20's, same as Salt Lake City. Northeast winds continue to crash the powder party, blowing 30-40 mph along the high peaks. As valley inversions set in, get up into the mountains, where the air is clear, and the travel is easy.

Winds have turned upper elevation terrain into a moonscape. (Diegel photo)

Lower elevation sun exposed terrain took on heat yesterday and will have a breakable crust this morning.

Trip reports and observations are found here.

recent activity

Dan Gardiner grabbed this image Sunday of a cross loaded chute that avalanched naturally on Bald Mountain.

No new avalanche activity to report

Recent avalanche observations are found here.

See or trigger an avalanche? Shooting cracks? Hear a collapse? It's simple. Go here to fill out an observation.

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

Wind slabs are becoming stubborn and welded in place, but I bet with enough prodding you could still trigger either an old or a freshly formed drift along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges. Easy to detect by their fat, rounded appearance, any drift in the wind zone has the potential to break deeper and wider than you might expect.

Fresh wind drifts, like this one above, are mostly isolated to steep, upper elevation terrain in the wind zone

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

The last deep slab avalanche on January 27th near Current Creek Peak, resulted in a close call and a full burial... yeah, it's a great reminder of the sleeping avalanche problem we can't forget. (More info found here )

Deeply triggered slides are elusive, but here's the common theme... steep terrain that faces the north half of the compass, at or above tree line, and particularly slopes that previously avalanched during the big Solstice Storm. Terrain with these characteristics had weak sugary snow develop due to their shallow nature, and January storms added roughly 3-5 feet of stronger snow on top. You know the drill- strong snow on weak snow... no es bueno.

Complicating matters is the fact that we can't tell what slopes avalanched back in December because everything has filled back in and they all look the same. My strategy is to assume that all slopes approaching 35 degrees facing the north half of the compass are suspect. The good news is the snowpack is on the mend and I bet it'll gain even more strength the next few days. Practicing a little patience now could have big returns in the near future.

weather

High pressure is entrenched over the region through the week. We'll see sunny skies with temperatures rising into the low 40's with overnight lows dipping in the 20's. Northerly winds blow in the 20's and 30's. Not much going on until the weekend when a dry cold front slides through the area.

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 If Craig is unavailable you can reach his partner Trent at 801-455-7239, email [email protected] 

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]. To register for the first in our series of on-the-snow sled specific classes you can register here.

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.

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:00 AM on Wednesday, February 10th.