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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Lose the wind... you lose the problem-

MODERATE avalanche danger exists at and above treeline, especially in the wind zone, where human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep, wind drifted slopes. Note to self... unusual easterly winds reshape the landscape, forming atypical drifting on slopes with a westerly component to their aspect.

More the exception than the rule, a slide breaking to old snow isn't entirely out of the question, particularly in steep, rocky, wind drifted terrain facing the north half of the compass.

Lose some elevation and head to wind sheltered terrain where you'll find generally LOW avalanche danger.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Mark traveled around the Duchesne Ridge yesterday and reports unusual drifting patterns.

    We know winds were invented in the western Uintas and rounding out the workweek, the range took pride in their patent. Winds nuked into the 50's and 60's along the high ridges from an unusual, east and northeast orientation... yeah, that's odd for us. As such, look for hard and mostly stubborn drifts in uncommon locations, especially on slopes with a westerly component to its aspect. While I suspect most drifting occurred on the leeward side of mid and upper elevation ridges, be on the lookout cross-loading in chutes and gullies and avoid any fat, rounded piece of snow, especially if it sounds hollow like a drum. Breaking at or below our skis, board, or sled today's main avalanche problem is easily managed with terrain choices. Lose the wind... you lose the problem.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    4

    Region-wide, our snowpack is deep, it's strong, and in general... it's bomb dot com, suggesting straight-forward avy hazard. And while not impossible, all the right elements for a catastrophic avalanche need to align perfectly. Think... steep, rocky, wind loaded terrain in the windzone, especially slopes that have avalanched multiple times this year. With miles and miles of terrain to ride safely, not only would you really have to go out of your way to trigger an avalanche that unpredictably breaks into weak layers, now buried deep in the snowpack, you'd really have to get unluckly Rather than try to out-guess the snowpack, just keep it simple and avoid places where you think there's a good chance of hitting rocks which in turn are likely places to trigger a deep, dangerous avalanche.

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Recent Activity

From Thursday, but still worth honorable mention-

Trevor "powder" Katz is a solid snow-pro, long time caller... first time listener, who reports the avalanche in the image above occurred on a steep southerly slope, a result of Wednesday's nuking winds.

TK is always on the case and first to report breaking avalanche news. More importantly... Trevor is a kind heart and all around amazing person... and we need more of that in our world :)

Meanwhile, last weekend I took a look at a ginormous, boxcar sized cornice which broke unpredictably.

For all Uinta observations and recent avalanche activity click HERE.

Snow and Weather

Nowcast- It's a beautiful start to the day with clear skies over the City of Salt, which highlight a waxing, Crescent Moon overhead. Meanwhile, thermometers are deep into the graveyard shift, but look forward to warming up for their weekend, though currently register in the teens and low 20's. After days of east winds blasting the ridges, they added a southerly component to the setlist and now blow 10-20 mph from the southeast. Riding and turning conditions are a mixed bag. Our big, open terrain took a tough hit with recent winds, and strong sun added a heat crust to the sunnies. But don't get discouraged by all the blow and little snow... sheltered terrain offers soft, settled powder.

Forecast- A few clouds drift through the region, but in general, look for mostly sunny skies, warming temperatures, and somewhat pesky ridgetop winds continuing throughout the day. High temperatures climb into the upper 30's, whilst winds, blowing from the east and southeast take a break from their recent hectic pace and average in the 15-25 mph range near the peaks. Clouds thicken overnight and low temperatures dip into the low 20's

Futurecast- Expect mostly sunny skies returning for Sunday and into the upcoming week with temperatures climbing a few degrees each day. Potential storminess develops to wrap up the workweek.

Snow-pro Joey Manship was out and about on the south half of the range and reports a mixed bag.

Left image shows wind jacked snow found in open terrain near and above treeline, while the image to the right illustrates creamy pow, a clean slate, and a beautiful signature found on sheltered slopes.... well played Amigo!

Additional Info

The Uinta weather station network was upgraded this summer and all that real-time info is found HERE. Simply click on "western Uinta" tab and then "weather stations" tab.

We are always looking for snow and avalanche observations or just general riding conditions. So... if you see something, say something. You can reach me directly at [email protected] or 801-231-2170. Also, if you're looking for more avy education opportunities for yourself, your crew, or your club please don't hesitate to reach out to me and we'll find a presentation, class, or clinic for ya!

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Issued at 0400 on Saturday, March 16th this forecast will be updated by 0700 Sunday, March 17th, 2024.

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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