Avalanche forecast

Uintas

Utah Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

  • Alpine
  • Treeline
  • Below treeline
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 9 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Heads up... last night's dense heavy snow coupled with strong winds changed the landscape and the avy danger.

CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exists at and above treeline on slopes facing northwest through east. Human triggered avalanches are LIKELY and once initiated, today's avalanches will break deeper and wider than you might expect, particularly on steep, drifted slopes in the windzone facing the north half of the compass. Remember- getting rolled by even a small avalanche this time of year will rake you through stumps, rocks, or deadfall and instantly run your day.

Lose a little elevation on the polars or swing over to the south half of the compass that held no old snow prior to last nights storm and it's a different story. Fresh wind drifts reactive to our additional weight deliver a MODERATE avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep, wind drifted, leeward slopes.

Low elevation terrain near the trailheads offers generally LOW avalanche danger, but it's low tide and there's a lot of buzz-killing reef barely hidden underneath the shallow snow surface.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    3

    Here's the wind up... and the pitch. Early season snow grew weak and sugary during the November dry spell and that structurally challenged junk in the trunk is no match for last night's dense, heavy snow and strong winds. While I bet some steep slopes avalanched naturally overnight, others wait for a trigger like us to roll along, collapse the slope... whoomph... and now we're staring down the barrel of a dangerous avalanche. It doesn't mean we can't ride. It does mean we need to avoid steep slopes that harbored old snow. Mid and upper elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass is bullseye terrain.

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Image above is a 24 hour data dump from Windy Peak, clearly illustrating the trend of recent winds.

    Storm snow and strong winds teamed up overnight, forming fresh drifts that'll be sensitive to our additional weight today. It's gonna be tricky out there, because I suspect drifting is further downslope than we might expect. And once intimated, a relatively small drift can quickly get out of hand if it fails on weak layers of snow buried deeper in the snowpack. The ticket to riding safely is avoiding fat rounded pillows of snow, especially if they sound hollow like a drum.

Special Announcement

We wrap up Avalanche Awareness Week today with- the 18th annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop in person and virtual options!

Recent Activity

No recent Uinta avalanche activity to report. But for now, click below to check out all reported avalanches and travel obs from across the range and beyond!

View All Observations Here

Snow and Weather

Nowcast- With mostly cloudy skies overhead, a nice wave of energy slid through the region overnight, delivering a thick coat of white paint to the high country. I think our remote snow sites are underestimating totals somewhat, none-the-less... the ouija board suggests an evenly distributed 6" snow with .75" H2O. West and southwest winds cranking 25-50 mph with gusts to 70 mph are pretty straight-forward across the range. It's mild for early December with temperatures registering in the mid to upper 20's.

Forecast- Hang on to your hats if you got 'em! Winds continue blasting into the 50's and 60's this morning and that helps usher in an additional wave of moisture and 4"-6" of dense snow. High temperatures rise into the low 30's and dip into the teens overnight as colder air drifts into the region.

Futurecast - Partly cloudy skies, colder temperatures and a few lingering snow showers are on tap for Sunday. A break for Monday with more storminess slated for midweek.

Our long time partners, Salt Lake's National Weather Service, have continued a winter storm warningfor the Uinta zone.

Thursday, Andy snagged some aerial images of the Wolf Creek zone helping to paint an accurate picture of old snow distribution and the lay of land.

Visit Here For Additional Weather Information

Additional Info

Looking into the Living Room from the shoulder of Reids Peak and Bald Mountain at 10,700' prior to last nights storm.

General Announcements

But wait... there's more!

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 Saturday, December `6th at 04:00 AM and expires 24 hours after it was issued. We'll update this information by 07:00 tomorrow.

Regions covered