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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Heads up... deceptively dangerous avalanche conditions are found at upper elevations and and any slide triggered will break deeper and wider than you might expect.

In the wind zone, at and above treeline, CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exists. Human triggered avalanches are LIKELY on steep, wind drifted slopes. Terrain facing the north half of the compass, and particularly slopes with an easterly component to its aspect should be avoided.

Mid elevations offer MODERATE avalanche danger on steep slopes facing the north half of the compass and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE.

In either case, shallow snow cover and low tide conditions barely hide natural obstacles like stumps and rocks, so, triggering even a small slide can lead to an instant buzz-kill and a season ending injury.

LOW avalanche danger is found on mid and low elevation slopes, particularly those facing south, but snow cover is super thin.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2

    Nothing has changed with our persistent weak layer, as a matter of fact, it might be slightly more deceptive as the snowpack slowly adjusts to Thursday's storm. But here's the setup. The current snowpack structure mirrors an upside-down cake... think, stronger snow on weaker snow. This type of layering leads to tricky avalanche conditions, where we can trigger slides from a distance or from adjacent slopes, and where we can pull the entire log pile down on top of us. And once triggered, today's avalanches may break wider and deeper than you might expect.

    But you don't have to ride blind... so, tweak small test slopes like the one in the image above, looking for and listening to signs of unstable snow like whoomping sounds and sudden collapses of the snowpack or shooting cracks in front of your skis, board, or sled. And of course the biggest clue of all... recent avalanches, especially on the same types of slopes you wanna ride on.

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2

    Our main man with the Uinta plan, Ted Scroggin, stomped around the Double Hill zone Saturday, catching this fresh wind slab peeling off the ridge, which in turn, triggered a deeper slide as it crashed on the slope below.

    A bump in winds late Sunday and again overnight, create yet another round of fresh drifts, reactive to our additional weight. Found mostly on the leeward side of upper elevation ridges, you'll also want to be on the lookout for cross-loaded terrain like chutes and gullies. In either case, it's an easy and mostly manageable avalanche problem to avoid by simply steering clear of any fat, rounded piece of snow, particularly if it sounds hollow like a drum. And remember... our snowpack is super shallow and triggering even a small slide can take you for a body-bruising ride through rocks and stumps barely hidden under the thin snowpack.

Special Announcement

Thanks to the generous support of our local resorts, Ski Utah, and Backcountry, discount lift tickets are now available. Support the UAC while you ski at the resorts this season. Tickets are available here.

Recent Activity

No significant new avalanche activity to report.

To view trip reports and recent avalanche activity, simply click here.

Snow and Weather

Nowcast-

High clouds and a few flurries drift through our region as a weak storm clips the northern half of the state. West and southwest winds bumped into the 30's and 40's overnight and continue at a similar rate along the high ridges early this morning. Temperatures are in the mid to upper 20's. No significant new snow to report other than last Thursday's storm which delivered 8" of fresh, white paint. However, total snow depths throughout the range average just about two feet in depth, so the Uinta's are still quite thin and travel is sorta limited to road rides and grassy slopes.

Forecast-

Clouds thin out, winds decrease, and it'll be warm with highs climbing into the upper 30's.

Futurecast-

A quick hitting storm is slated for late Tuesday.

Looking for real-time temps, snow, or wind?

Click here and then on the "western Uinta" tab for western Uinta specific, weather station network.

Additional Info

You know the program... roadside attractions are still an easy grab and just 'cause you can see it from the car doesn't mean it's safe or you're good to go. And remember, our front-line health care workers are maxed out. So, let's collectively think about our decisions and the consequences that may have on others.

On Friday I rolled up to a fresh avalanche and found Utah Snowmobile Association president, Cal Taylor, investigating the slide and performing a mock rescue with his riding partner Mike Davis. In the video above, Cal has some sage advice for our riding community.

I'll update this forecast by 7:00 AM tomorrow, Tuesday December 22nd.

Your observations are import, so please let me know what you're seeing... click HERE and contribute to this amazing community based program

General Announcements

If you see or trigger an avalanche or just wanna let me know what you're seeing you can reach me directly at 801-231-2170 or [email protected]

The information in this forecast is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content.

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