Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Uintas Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Saturday - November 25, 2017 - 4:20am
bottom line

In general the avalanche danger is LOW and the chances of slamming into a season ending rock or stump are greater than triggering an avalanche. However, it's not full on green light... ride it if it's white conditions. While more the exception than the rule, steep, upper elevation north facing slopes with old, sugary snow near the ground are still likely suspects and in terrain with these characteristics you could trigger a slide that breaks deeper than you might expect. That said... it's a long winter and it's just getting started. Play it safe and find a low angle grassy meadow where you can avoid both rocks and avalanches.
special announcement

With no storms in sight, this advisory is valid through midnight Sunday Nov. 26th and will be updated early next week as conditions warrant.

current conditions

Severe clear, as high pressure dominates our weather pattern. However, yesterday's dry cold front knocked temperature down slightly. Currently, it's in the mid 20's and low 30's with southwest winds blowing 15-30 mph along the highest ridgelines.


Above are 24 hour temperatures and snow depth from Trial Lake and winds from Windy Peak

With only two feet of snow on the North half of the range and about 1/2 that amount south of Bald Mountain Pass, road rides and low angle grassy slopes are the only game in town.

Last Friday's big storm delivered warm dense snow that favored the northern half of the range.

  • At Trial Lake SNOTEL (10,000 ft) near the Mirror Lake highway, 20 inches of snow fell (2.5 inches of water).
  • Chalk Creek near upper Weber Canyon got 16 inches of snow (2.5 inches of water).
  • Further south near Strawberry Reservoir at lower elevations, a mix of rain and snow delivered an inch of water but it only got 4 inches of snow.

Mark poked around in the snow near Wolf Creek Pass earlier this week and generally found snow about a foot deep that was a mix of old weak snow near the ground and some lighter newer snow on top. See photo below.

Meanwhile, Ted and I were on the north half of the range and found a deeper snowpack. In general we're off to a good start and my video... click here to view... explains the setup.
recent activity



Ted and I found a sizeable natural avalanche on the steep, north facing bowl of Murdock Peak, just of the Mirror Lake Highway. Most likely running during last Thursday nights big storm, this slide was 3-4' feet, 400' wide, and broke to weak facets near the ground. Click here for a viddy descriptor explaining this avalanche.
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 avalanche conditions are pretty straight-forward and in general the snowpack has adjusted to last weeks big storm and it's comfortable in its own skin. However, the Uinta's are a big place and if you wanted to trigger a slide I bet you could find a connected piece of snow on a high elevation, shady, north facing slope. Yep... the same types of slopes that held snow from September and October. Remember- that early season snow grew weak and sugary. The bummer with triggering an avalanche this time of year is, it reveals rocks, stumps, and other natural obstacles which are barely hidden under the early season, shallow snowpack.

weather


Strong high pressure builds over the region through the weekend, leading to the return of record-breaking warmth with highs in the low 50's and overnight lows hovering near 40 degrees. Southwesterly winds increase significantly Sunday, blowing in the 50's and 60's, ahead of a storm system slated to slide close to our region Monday. Still a lot of variables with this storm and confidence is low. However, cooling and a chance of snowfall are expected Monday/Monday night.
general announcements

I'll be issuing regularly scheduled advisories once the snow starts flying in earnest. In the meantime, if you're getting out and about, please let me know what you're seeing especially if you see or trigger and avalanche. I can be reached at [email protected] or 801-231-2170

It's also a good time to set up one of our very popular avalanche awareness classes. Reach out to me and I'll make it happen.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.