Lawinenlagebericht

Uintas

Utah Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

  • Hochgebirge
  • Waldgrenze
  • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
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Kernpunkte

Mid and upper elevation polar slopes, facing the north half of the compass deliver CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger and human triggered slides are LIKELY. Breaking 4' deep and hundreds of feet wide, today's timber-snapping, terrain-trap filling avalanches fail on weak faceted snow, can still be triggered from a distance, and are nothing to mess around with.

Our persistent slab problem is deceptive and may feel like it's gaining strength, but it's largely unpredictable and hardly comfortable in its own skin. With high consequences still on the table, avoidance and a guilty-until-proven-otherwise approach is my go-to tool for managing todays primary avalanche dragon.

In the more predictable category, CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger is found around the dial at and above treeline, where fresh wind drifts will react to our additional weight. Human triggered avalanches are LIKELY, especially on steep, wind drifted slopes.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Late last week, on a northeast facing slope around 10,600', Cody Hughes triggered this chunky persistent slab from nearly 1,000' away while riding his sled just off the groomed road in the flats. More info can be found, here.

    It ain't straight-forward 'cause it ain't in your face and that's what makes today's avalanche dragon particularly dangerous. So, here's the windup... a dense, strong, pencil-hard slab sits atop our weak January Drought Layer (JDL) of persistent, faceted grains. Now the pitch... trench a track or dig down with your shovel and check it out for yourself, it's a deceptively tricky house of cards.

    Sure, we're days past the peak of instability when the walls are caving in, but we're still seeing cracks in the snow and hearing less than subtle whumphing sounds. And while the snowpack is beginning to gain strength, all we need to do is find a weakness, maybe around a rock or a bush, collapse the pack, and now we're staring down the barrel of a dangerous slide. Avoidance and guilty until proven otherwise is my approach today.

    Above is a rough profile from near Currant Creek, where dense and cohesive storm snow from last week has consolidated on top our our JDL. This maritime-esque slab is no match for our continental faceted weak layer.

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Above, Andy caught a glimpse of this meaty wind slab, that peeled off a steep wind drifted slope near Haystack Mountain.

    Winds have been all over the map for the past 24 hours, and now they've got some storm snow to work. Around the compass, fresh drifts dot the leeward side of upper elevation ridges and may have cross-loaded terrain features like chutes and gullies. Easy to identify by their fat, rounded appearance, I suspect newly formed drifts are gonna react to our additional weight and may break a little deeper and wider than we might expect.

    I match my terrain with the hazard and think... hmmm... even a small avalanche could knock me off my feet, straining me through consequential terrain like trees, rocks, or cliffs. No bueno.

Recent Activity

Initiated low on the slope, this slide near the Duchesne Ridgeline at about 9,700' fits the bill for the type of avalanche we could easily trigger today, especially in wind sheltered terrain where the snowpack is thinner and weak layer is weaker.

View All Avalanches & Observations Here

Snow and Weather

Nowcast - Thick clouds and light snowfall obscure this mornings planetary trifecta... a full, worm moon, a blood moon, and a lunar eclipse. But hey, we'll take the snow while we can! Yesterday afternoon's cold front slid through the eastern front like a cross-fire hurricane... rain, graupel, yup, even thundersnow delivered a nice reset across the range. Looks like the North Slope through Wolf Creek stacked up 8" of snow with .80" H20, while the very south half of the range near Daniels reports about half that amount. Winds blowing 25-35 mph from the west and northwest usher in much colder temperatures which are just starting to dip into the teens and low 20's °F.

Forecast - A good shot of snow through the morning with a couple additional inches expected, but in general we're drying out by about suppertime. High temperatures climb into the low 30's °F while winds blowing from the west and northwest decrease through the morning and shift nor' easterly. Overnight lows dip into the low 20's °F.

Futurecast - A break in the action is slated for Wednesday with another storm in the queue expected to slide into the region Thursday and wrap up the workweek. I'll have a better sense on timing and strength for tomorrow's update, but this longer lasting system should produce a nice shot of snow. I'm cautiously optimistic for a 10"- 12" reset.

Check out the Uinta Weather Network here!

Travel Conditions - From zero to hero to zero and now, more than just an honorable mention. By the look of things right outta the gate, you wouldn't know the Uinta's stacked up nearly 3' of snow last week with almost 3" of SWE. Adding insult to injury and throwing in some late winter buzzkill, most of our low elevations saw rain yesterday and the pack took a hit down low. However, today's added cushion softens the price of admission and with a few thousand feet of elevation gain and a little adventuring, surfy riding conditions are waiting to greet you in wind sheltered, north facing terrain.

Andy got out and about along Mirror Lake Highway yesterday and reports a mixed bag of conditions and snow surfaces, but definitely worth the time investment.

Additional Info

Join the UAC for the first "Stay and Play Avalanche Course" at Bear River Lodge in the Uintas, March 19th-22nd. This course is designed for snowmobilers by snowmobilers, where you will learn avalanche rescue, riding skills, and how to survive in the backcountry. Come enjoy all the luxury offerings at Bear River Lodge and improve your skills along the way.

Our Avalanche Rescue Training Park is set-up and located at the top of Wolf Creek Pass, SR-35, and is waiting for you to come take it for a spin! Open up the control unit, flip a few switches, and dial in your avalanche rescue skills with this roadside attraction!

General Announcements

We have some upcoming classes and events that we'd be stoked to see you at -- Please reach out with any questions and check out below for more details!

See All Courses & Events Here

We are always looking for snow and avalanche observations or just general riding conditions. Reach out to us with questions, concerns, or if you see anything in your travels! Contact us directly through the info below:

This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions, and local variations always occur. This forecast was issued on Tuesday, March 03 at 0500 and expires 24 hours after it was issued. We'll update this information by 07:00 AM tomorrow.

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