Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Tuesday - January 31, 2017 - 3:20am
bottom line

Today, a MODERATE avalanche danger exists on steep, shady slopes at all elevations and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE. Remember- any avalanche that breaks to weaker snow, now buried a couple feet deep in the snowpack will get out of hand quickly, resulting in a dangerous slide.

Most low and mid elevation south facing terrain offers LOW avalanche danger.
special announcement

Do you buy groceries at Smiths? When you register your Smith’s rewards card with their Community Rewards program, they will donate to the Utah Avalanche Center whenever you make a purchase. It's easy, only takes a minute, and doesn't cost you anything. Details here.


Also... if you're at the Nobletts Trailhead, make sure to swing by the beacon checker at the south end of the parking lot and take a minute to practice your rescue skills at Beacon Basin on the northeast side. These are the types of projects your generous donations help fund and maintain.

And finally...we still have a few spots open for our February 9th and 11th sled specific avy and riding skills work shop. Details are found here.
current conditions

Skies are clear and temperatures have bumped into the mid 20's... slightly warmer than the Salt Lake Valley. West and southwest winds increased overnight and are currently blowing 30-40 mph along the high ridges. Unfortunately, recent winds smoked a lot of our big open bowls and upper elevation terrain. However, with a little effort, out of the wind you'll be rewarded with cold, creamy pow.


24 hour run of Windy Peak wind data above.

Real time wind, snow, and temperatures for the Uinta's are found here

Snowpack observations and trip reports are found here.
recent activity



This slide was remotely triggered from about 60 feet away near Hoyt Peak on Sunday. Breaking 16" deep and about 175' wide and failing on well preserved Surface Hoar, this avalanche exemplifies the type of avalanche dragon we're dealing with. More details found here. (Provo photo)

A full list of Uinta 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

This is where it gets tricky. Our unmanageable avalanche problem is hard to detect unless we spend a little time and dig into the snow to investigate. What you'll find with minimal effort are weak, sugary, near surface facets and surface hoar. These notoriously tricky and persistent weak layers are now buried a couple feet deep in our snowpack and until recently, have been pretty well-behaved. However, now that the storm snow is starting to consolidate and settle, these dormant layers are coming back to life. Adding to the complexity is that this layering isn't widespread and found mostly in terrain where these fragile crystals didn't get destroyed by the wind prior to the series of big, mid-month storms. Suspect terrain includes mid and low elevation creek bottoms and terrain features where cold air pools. It's a deceptive setup for sure, but it doesn't have to be a roll of the dice and the solution for the next couple of days is easy. Either do a little homework, dig around and identify slopes that have a suspect snowpack or simply avoid being on, under, or connected to steep slopes, especially those facing the north half of the compass. Remember- any avalanche that breaks into weak layers buried deep in the snowpack will be dangerous.

With a little bit of homework you can clearly identify the weak layer now buried about two feet from the snow surface.
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

Found along the leeward side of mid and upper elevation ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies, todays slabs are gonna be a bit more stubborn than the past few days. In fact, in many locations they'll feel welded in place. However, once triggered any avalanche can grow into a bigger problem if it breaks into weaker snow now buried several feet deep in the snowpack. Your best strategy is to simply avoid fat looking, rounded pillows of snow, especially if they feel or sound hollow like a drum.

weather

Today, look for mostly sunny skies with temperatures rising into the mid and upper 30's. Along the high ridges, westerly winds are gonna be a nuisance, blowing in the 40's and 50's. This trend should continue into early next week as the pattern begins to become active again. Weak storms pass through the region Thursday and Friday night into Saturday, with the potential to bring light snow and cooler temperatures.
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]

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 1st.