Ogden

The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE at the upper elevations and on northerly-facing slopes at the mid elevations where human-triggered avalanches are likely. Avalanches may fail one to two feet deep within the storm slab of new and wind-drifted snow, but also may step down to deeper weak layers buried over three feet deep on northerly-facing slopes at the upper elevations.

Fortunately, this dense snow is supportable and provides excellent travel and riding conditions on lower-angled (less than 30° in steepness) slopes.

Remember: If you are ducking ropes or stepping out of bounds at a ski area, you are stepping into potentially dangerous avalanche conditions. It’s worth noting that Utah leads the nation in avalanche fatalities where riders have exited the ski area boundaries and never made it home.

What

The Utah Avalanche Center is warning of dangerous avalanche conditions throughout the mountains of northern Utah and southeastern Idaho this week where heavy snowfall and strong winds have created a CONSIDERABLE to HIGH avalanche danger. Large and unsurvivable tree snapping avalanches 4-6 feet deep have already occurred, two riders were critically buried in an avalanche in the Brighton backcountry on Friday, and more human-triggered avalanches are expected, with natural avalanches possible.

When

In effect from 3PM MST today to 6am MST Wednesday

Where

For the mountains of Northern Utah including the Wasatch Range...Bear River Range...Uinta Mountains.

Impacts

Dangerous avalanche conditions exist on many slopes. Avalanches are likely to be triggered by anyone traveling on or below slopes steeper than 30 degrees and may be triggered remotely (from a distance) or from below. People stepping out of bounds at a ski area are stepping into the same very dangerous avalanche conditions.

Derek DeBruin spotted a sizeable D2 near 9600 'on the South Face of Ben Lomond yesterday. It appears to have run on the slick crust below the new snow. Read his full ob HERE.

Kaufman also went out for a walk along Cutler Ridge to find a wind slab that released near ridgeline at 9500' on a NE facing slope. You can find his avalanche observation HERE.

As of 5 am, 24-hour totals (in inches) are roughly 12" snow containing 2" water.

Winds are from the west/southwest and sustained, averaging in the teens and 20's mph (perfect wind speeds for creating fresh wind drifts) with overnight gusts of 30-45 mph along exposed mid and upper-elevation ridgelines Temperatures range through the 20's °F.

For today, expect periods of heavy snowfall this morning and moderate to strong winds, with another 2-4 inches of snow expected. Snowfall rates will be the highest this morning, before tapering to snow showers this afternoon. Temperatures will rise into the upper 20's °F.

After a short break, another storm is expected later Wednesday. This will be a more traditional storm featuring colder temperatures and lower-density snowfall.

We received an excellent observation from Logan Jamison who braved the poor low-elevation conditions to be rewarded by decent travel and riding conditions above 8,000 feet on Cutler Ridge.

Logan Jamison from Cutler Ridge on Sunday

To our south on Sunday in the Salt Lake mountains, a party on the ridgeline above Two Dogs in Days Fork unintentionally released a cornice onto the slope below which triggered an avalanche that initially failed above the Christmas rain crust (CERC) layer, but stepped down to facets and depth hoar at the ground. The slide was on a northeast-facing slope at 10,100 feet and was 4.5 feet deep, 250 feet wide, and ran 700 feet, snapping trees along the way.

Read all backcountry observations here.

We're all excited about the fresh new snow and improved riding conditions, especially with the slow start to the season. Everyone (us included) is antsy to get some fresh turns. Longtime local professionals noted some less-than-safe travel practices in the backcountry yesterday. We have a responsibility to one another to cross slopes one at a time, be aware of who’s above and below us, and to pick uptracks with the least exposure. We tell you these things not to wag fingers, but to have you come home to and with all of your friends and family tonight. It’s what we all want for each other.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. 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.

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