Avalanche forecast

Ogden

Utah Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

  • Alpine
  • Treeline
  • Below treeline
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

A MODERATE DANGER exists on all upper elevation wind loaded slopes for triggering new and old wind drifted slabs of snow. The danger is most pronounced on steep, upper elevation northerly through easterly facing terrain. The new snow could be sensitive to the weight of a rider and shallow soft slabs might become possible in the wind effected terrain today. Cornices are an issue - Exercise great caution along and underneath the heavily corniced ridgelines.

Safe Travel Protocols are key to successful outings: Beacon, shovel, probes, one at a time, get out of the way at the bottom, have a plan.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    3

    Old drifts of wind blown snow remain a concern for today. The most likely place to trigger an old lingering wind slab will be on steep, upper elevation, north through easterly facing terrain. Wind drifted snow can be highly variable, and it's typically found on leeward slopes, in gullies, open bowls, and on mid slope breaks-overs. As always, be on the look out and avoid pillowy, rounded, hollow sounding snow. These old drifts of snow are becoming more and more stable as time goes on.

    New drifts of wind blown snow: The northerly wind could drift the newly fallen snow onto lee aspects creating shallow and sensitive soft slabs in the wind effected terrain. Slope cuts and terrain management skills should be enough to reduce the risk of being caught in one of these smaller slides.

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    3

    CORNICES ARE ENORMOUS. Most of these are too large to intentionally drop onto a slope below. They will break back farther than you think, well back from the apex of the ridgeline. Exercise great caution along and underneath the heavily corniced ridgelines.

General Announcements

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ

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.

Additional Info

The accident reports for the four avalanche fatalities are all finalized with some first-hand accounts and worth reading. We all have something to learn so that we can get home safely to our loved ones. List of all accidents found HERE.

Special Announcement

An avalanche warning has been issues for the Abajo mountains down in southern Utah. Heavy snow and strong winds have created widespread unstable snow. If you're heading south be sure to check the Moab area specific forecasts.

Recent Activity

No new avalanches were reported from the Ogden backcountry yesterday.

In the Provo area there was a very large natural avalanche that released within the past 24 to 48hrs. This slide was 5-9' feet deep and up to 2500' feet wide, running 3,000' vertical feet to the valley floor. (PC: UDOT)

Snow and Weather

Under partly cloudy skies, the west and northerly flow is squeezing what moisture it can out of the atmosphere. In most places a trace to 2" of new snow has fallen. Snow showers will linger into the afternoon before starting to clear out by mid day. The bigger headline is the cold temperatures! Upper elevation thermometers are hovering around 0°F, while lower elevation trail heads are in the single digits. Winds are from the west and south and will continue to blow 10-15 mph with gusts into the low 20's at upper elevations today.

The skiing and riding this week has been epic to say the least. This is the classic Wasatch I can remember. Cold dry powder exists on almost every aspect. The sun did get to the southerly facing steeper terrain, where you'll find a thin zipper crust.

Regions covered