Avalanche forecast

Uintas

Utah Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired last year.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

Highlights

For today, MODERATE avalanche danger exists at mid and upper-elevations on the north half of the compass where human-triggered, persistent slab avalanches failing on faceted snow and breaking up to 3’ deep are POSSIBLE. In addition, with a few inches of snow over night and totals expected to stack up throughout the day, look for wind-drifts to increase in size and sensitivity become reactive to our additional weight as a rider.

LOW avalanche danger exists at all other aspects and elevations, and although UNLIKELY, it is spring and a mixed bag of small avalanches can always catch us off guard when stepping into bigger terrain or the high country. Don’t let your guard down, use good travel protocol, and always ride with a partner!

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    3

    Our Persistent weak layers have become very relaxed over the past few weeks, but winter has returned and we will want to pay close attention to what the incoming snow and wind do. Over the past week on slopes facing west through southeast at mid and upper elevations we have seen persistent slab avalanches failing naturally and triggered by humans 1-3' deep up to a football field wide. The ongoing challenge is, we are not seeing obvious red flags like collapsing and cracking that are typically associated with this problem, but digging down with your shovel or track it is easy to see the sugary facets underneath a cohesive, dense slab.

    As we load up the persistent weak layers again, I am uncertain on how reactive they will become. I am still avoiding shallower areas of the snowpack less than 150cm deep along with steep, rocky areas where I am more likely to trigger this lingering problem. It is becoming tougher to hold-out as spring approaches, but I am still avoiding slopes with this avalanche problem and practicing patience as every slope will have its day, but some times we just have to wait to play.

    This avalanche failed at 11,100' on a northwest slope off East Lofty Peak above Cutthroat lake, in a shallower area of the snowpack, around 130cm. This avalanche was near 1,000' wide, 1-3' deep and broke to the ground during our last avalanche and storm cycle, and looked to be triggered by a sledder mid-slope.

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    The storm has arrived and combined with variable and veering winds will create sensitive drifts around the compass as the day progresses. I expect today's drifts to be sensitive to the additional weight of a rider, and sit atop a variety of old snow surfaces making it tough to predict how well they will bond. They will be small in size, 4-6" deep, and specific to mid and upper elevation terrain in the windzone, near high peaks and ridges.

    Look for textured snow, and rounded pillows on terrain features like gully walls and convex rolls. Remember any avalanche triggered today will run a good distance down the slope on old snow surfaces, and even a small one, can push us into rock, smack us into a tree, or rolls us over a cliff and end our day before we even become buried.

General Announcements

We are always looking for snow and avalanche observations or just general riding conditions. In the meantime 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 Monday, March 3rd at 06:30 AM and expires 24 hours after it was issued.

Special Announcement

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Recent Activity

No avalanches have been reported in three days, but it was a busy week with close calls, slides triggered remotely and from large cornice falls crashing onto the slope below. Check out these avalanches and more beta from across the range and beyond, here.

An old persistent slab avalanche on Mt. Marsell on an east facing slope at 11,000'. It was likely cornice triggered and occurred during our last avalanche and storm cycle in mid-February.

Snow and Weather

Nowcast As of 0500 we have received our first trace of snow in over a week, and winter is back as 2-3" have fallen on upper elevation terrain over night! As the storm rolls in it is accompanied by mild temperatures as trailheads read in at 25℉ and 10,000' peaks average 15℉. Currently, south southeast winds are blowing lightly with moderate gusts, around 20 MPH up high.

Forecast It is looking like the storm's first wave will void a majority of the northern mountains in Utah, but the Uinta's find themselves in the right place and will join southern Utah in the moisture party and hopefully squeeze out 3-5" by later this evening. Winds look to bump up today between 15-20 MPH, gusting near 30, and shifting counter-clockwise veering to north north west by the end of the day. Temperatures continue to cool down, max out in the teens today and stay steady into the late afternoon and evening.

Futurecast After this pinch of moisture throughout the day look for greater totals measuring up by tomorrow, and I am still hopeful we could see up to a foot of snow nearing an inch of SWE by open on Wednesday.

Riding Conditions & Travel It has been a while since our last reset, but riding and travel conditions remained spring-like up until yesterday. A quick change in apsect and elevation takes you from a south facing slope, like the one below, where you can barely sink a track through to cold north facing powder where the riding feels like January.

A crispy, south facing slope at 11,200' near Lofty Peak that was barely rideable on edge. Change aspects, and you found yourself in running-board-deep pow that was supportable and rode 5-star.

Additional Info

The Camp Steiner snow site, just east of Scout Peak and south of Lofty Peak, was upgraded with a new snow sensor and is cranking out accurate snow depths just in time for the first spring storm! This is a great weather station that provides information specific to the north slope, high-country, and Mirror Lake environs. You can access all the stations across the range, here!

Installing the new snow depth sensor at Camp Steiner just below Scout Peak. When you bring your brother to work, you have to put him to work -- Thanks for the install, Kyle!

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