Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Friday - February 17, 2017 - 3:39am
bottom line

In general the avalanche danger is LOW... but here's a few things to watch for-

While making up a small portion of the terrain available to ride in today, in the wind zone, on steep leeward slopes facing the north half of the compass, pockets of MODERATE avalanche danger exist. Both new and old wind drifts will predictably react to our additional weight and human triggered avalanches are possible. Heads up... once triggered, today's avalanches may fan out and entrain a bit more snow than you'd expect.

On the south half of the compass expect the avalanche danger to rise from LOW this morning to MODERATE and human triggered avalanches become possible on steep sunny slopes as the day heats up.
current conditions

Skies are clear, temperatures in the mid 20's to low 30's, and southwest winds are blowing 20-30 mph along the high ridges. Right around dinner time yesterday, light snow fell, covering the high peaks with a shallow coat of white paint. Mid elevation sunny slopes offer quality corn mid morning and wind sheltered shady terrain still harbors cold, creamy snow.


Above... 24 hour data from Lofty Lake Peak.

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


The Mirror Lake Guard Station just looks like a speed bump in the road... man the Uinta's are white!

Snowpack observations and trip reports are found here.
recent activity


About the only avalanche game in town yesterday was this shallow, human triggered slab on a moderately steep, cross-loaded, north facing slope at about 10,500' in elevation... otherwise pretty quiet on the eastern front.

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

The sun is high in the sky and it's starting to beam down intensly. If you're feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass... so is the snowpack. As temperatures rise, expect the snow surface on steep sun exposed terrain to heat up and become moist. As the day wares on, you'll want to avoid any steep slope that feels unsupportable or punchy... kinda like a trap door. In addition, steer clear of terrain traps like gullies and road cuts where wet, heavy, cement-like debris can stack up very deeply.

Like clockwork, during the heat of the day, a few damp sluffs release off the steep cliffs under Reids Peak.

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

Southwest winds now have a little snow to work with and I bet there's a fresh drift or two that'll be sensitive to our additional weight. Small and predictable, today's slabs lurk along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges and around terrain features like chutes, gullies, or sub-ridges. While pretty straight-forward and breaking at or below our skis, board, or sled I always think about the consequences of triggering even a small slide and getting dragged over a rock band or slammed into a tree. Also, remember that snow conditions can change rapidly this time of year, so if you're bowl hopping, re-evaluate the snow by tweaking small test slopes similar in aspect, elevation, and slope angle to what you want to ride. See how they're reacting before charging into a big, committing line.

In addition, cornices have grown extremely large and recent warm temperatures are turning these boxcar monsters into unpredictable beasts. Once released, a cornice crashing down on the slope below can easily trigger an avalanche, entraining more snow then you might've bargained for and stacking up large piles of tree snapping debris.
weather

A strong Pacific storm diving into southern California, sends a weak impulse screaming through our region late in the day. As a result, clouds increase throughout the day, southerly winds blow in the 40's, and temperatures rise into the upper 30's. Snow develops late today and it looks like we might squeeze 3"-6" of snow out of this storm by Saturday morning. A bit of a break is slated for Saturday with a cold front arriving during the evening giving us a better shot of snow. An unsettled pattern is on tap for early next 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]

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 Saturday February 18th.