Lawinenlagebericht

Uintas

Utah Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

  • Hochgebirge
  • Waldgrenze
  • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 7 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

In the wind zone at and above treeline, steep, wind drifted slopes facing the north half of the compass offer CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are LIKELY.

Lose a little elevation and that problem becomes a bit more manageable, but none-the-less, a MODERATE avalanche exists on wind drifted slopes at mid elevation and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE.

While more the exception than the rule, avalanches breaking into deeper, buried weak layers remains a distinct possibility. Usual suspects include- steep, rocky, upper elevation terrain, especially slopes exhibiting a thin, shallow snowpack. Remember- any slide that breaks to old snow will immediately ruin your day.

Wind sheltered, low and mid elevation slopes with no steep terrain above or adjacent to where you're riding offers LOW avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are UNLIKELY.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    2

    Pretty easy to see what's going on with winds at upper elevations. Above is a 24 hour data run from Lofty Lake Peak. (11,186')

    Yesterday's winds found what little snow there was available to blow around and whipped it into dense, stubborn slabs, that were generally welded into place. Problem is, those drifts are now covered over with a fresh round of new snow, making these layers hard to detect. So here's an easy way to move around safely in our mountains today... simply steer clear of any fat, rounded piece of snow, especially if it sounds hollow like a drum. Found mostly on the leeward side of upper elevation ridges, strong winds also created fresh drifts lower down-slope than we usually expect and around terrain features like chutes and gullies. More the exception than the rule, a rogue wind slab could break deeper and wider than you might anticipate, creating a slide that quickly gets out of hand.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    3

    Above, an image of snow structure on a north facing slope in upper Whitney Basin that avalanched earlier this season. These are the type of slopes that may light up with today's storm.

    There's not much water weight associated with this storm and this isn't like other Uinta setups where the snowpack is teetering on the edge. As a matter of fact, most terrain offers a deep pack, recent warm temperatures have helped it gain strength, and it's happy in its own skin. However, steep, rocky, upper elevation terrain and slopes that avalanched near the ground earlier in the season remain suspect. So, while so much of our terrain is good to go, if you're travels take you to steep, technical slopes today, especially those with a thin, shallow snowpack, think about your exit strategy and the consider the consequences of triggering a slide that has the potential to break deeper and wider than you might expect. Or... with all the good riding out there and miles of terrain to choose from, simply avoid slopes with these characteristics.

Special Announcement

January 24 - February 6

Are you looking to improve your avalanche skills? We are offering a Motorized Backcountry 101: Introduction to Avalanches class on February 6 & 8 out of The Edge Powersports and Thousand Peaks Ranch in the Western Uintas. Click HERE for more details.

Recent Activity

No significant avalanche activity to report.

To view additional trip reports and recent avalanche activity, simply click here.

Snow and Weather

Currently-

The much anticipated storm is rolling into the region and a couple inches of snow has already stacked up as I type. However, the nature of this storm is such that snow totals in the mountains may closely align with those at lower, valley elevations... not a total bust, just a little different than what we're used to seeing. One thing for certain though, temperatures crashed by 15-20 degrees since yesterday at this time and southerly winds are still cranking in the 40's and 50's along the high ridges. Until more snow piles up, riding and turning conditions are gonna be a bit hit or miss today, but with total settled snow depths averaging over five feet, the range is white, the coverage remarkable, and your options pretty limitless.

Uinta weather network info is found here. Simply click on the Western Uinta tab.

For today-

The storm continues to materialize and snow piles up throughout the day. Expect an additional 3"-6" of snow before the storm winds down by about dinner time. Southwest winds continue cranking for the next few hours, before switching to the west and northwest and decreasing. It'll be cold with temperatures dropping into the single digits as the day wares on. Overnight lows crater below zero.

Futurecast-

Cold and unsettled weather is on tap through the week.

Additional Info

Thanks to the generous support of our Utah ski resorts and Ski Utah, we have discount lift tickets available. All proceeds support the UAC. Get your tickets HERE.

Get one of these cool t-shirts to support the UAC and other avalanche centers across the U.S. INFO

General Announcements

The information in this forecast expires in 24 hours, but will be updated by 7:00 AM Tuesday Feb. 4th.

This forecast is updated daily by 7:00 AM.

In the mean-time, if you see or trigger an avalanche or just wanna let me know what you're seeing you can reach me directly at 801-231-2170

This is a great time of year to schedule one of our free avy awareness presentations.

You can email me directly [email protected]

The information in this forecast is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content.

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