Uintas

The snow feels bomber under our skis, board, or sled... however, it's a deceptively dangerous setup that's giving us a false sense of stability and that can lure us into avalanche terrain. Once triggered, today's avalanches can fail on a persistent weak layer of snow now buried deep in our snowpack, resulting in a catastrophic slide.

HIGH avalanche danger is found on steep, upper elevation slopes and it's particularly sketchy on leeward slopes in the windzone at and above treeline. Human triggered avalanches breaking to deeply buried weak layers are LIKELY in terrain facing the north half of the compass, and especially on slopes with an easterly component to its aspect. Note to self... if I trigger an avalanche it could result in a large and potentially unsurvivable slide.

CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger is found near and above treeline on the south aspects and below treeline on shady slopes where human triggered avalanches are PROBABLE. In either case, a midpack weak layer remains suspect and is guilty until proven otherwise.

Lower elevation terrain facing the south half of the compass delivers MODERATE avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep, wind drifted slopes.

Here's your exit strategy-

We need to continue steering clear of terrain with overhead hazard and that means... avoid being on, under, or near all avalanche terrain where we could potentially pull the rug out from underneath and crash the roof down on top ourselves.

Thanks to everyone who took time out of their busy day to join me for last nights State of the Snowpack prezo. Y'all brought a great vibe, a beautiful energy, and an awesome community spirit. Let's keep it rollin', keep it tight, and keep it low angle while the snowpack figures out how to get comfortable in its own skin :)

No reported avalanche activity yesterday, but below are a few highlights from earlier this week-

North Slope and the north side of Double Hill which avy-savvy, snow-pro's Ted Scroggin and Steve Martin documented HERE along with a great viddy captured HERE.

On the south half of the range this slide triggered mid slope on a heavily wind loaded east facing slope at 9,500' in Blind Stream has similar characteristics.

Read more Uinta observations and avalanches HERE.

Nowcast- On the tail end of yesterday's little storm, light snow showers linger over the region and clouds are just beginning to thin at the turn of the new day. Awaiting your arrival is an even coat of white paint across the range... 8"-10" of new snow with an inch of water seems like the norm in mid and upper elevation terrain. Temperatures hover in the low 20's, while ridgetop winds blow 30-50 mph from the west and southwest. It's been a week of storminess which in turn doubled our snowpack. Total settled snow depths average five feet and we've gone from zero to hero. On a go anywhere base, the riding and turning conditions are all time right now.

Forecast- Look for light snow through the morning, but the atmosphere is drying and I expect we'll see partly cloudy skies by early afternoon. West and southwest winds are gonna be a nuisance near the ridges where they'll blow in the 30's and 40's before tapering off by about dinnertime. High temperatures climb into the upper 20's and overnight lows dip into the teens.

Futurecast- A break in the action for Friday with another round of storminess slated for late in the weekend into the middle of next week. These are mild storms delivering high density snow.

Snow summary from NRCS SNOTEL sites:

Chalk Creek #1 (9,171') - 53" snow depth (10.6" total water)

Trial Lake (9,992') - 65" snow depth (10.3" total water)

Wolf Creek Peak (9,796') - 44" snow depth (8.3" total water)

Currant Creek (7,915') - 33" snow depth (7.7" total water)

Daniels-Strawberry (8,008') - 41" snow depth (8.5" total water)

Strawberry Divide (8,123') - 50" snow depth (11.2" total water)

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!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ

Issued at 0400 on Thursday, January 18th this forecast will be updated by 0700 Friday, January 19th, 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.