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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Expect MODERATE avalanchedanger on steep, wind-drifted, mid and upper-elevation terrain, particularly slopes with a southerly component to their orientation where human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE. And remember... any slide initiated in steep, rocky terrain facing the north half of the compass, may fail on weak, sugary, faceted snow, delivering a deeper and wider slide than we might've bargained for.

Out of the wind-zone, LOW avalanche danger exists on all other aspects and elevations, but riding conditions are a hit or miss, mixed bag of snow surface conditions.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    3

    Above, a 25 hour wind run from Windy Peak (10,662') clearly illustrating the punishing ridgetop winds.

    Winds have blown for days, whipping up several batches of dense, hard slabs on upper elevation leeward slopes. Unfortunately, recent drifts will feel solid under our skis, board, or sled and allow us to get well out on slope before breaking above us and have the potential to step down into deeper layers of the snowpack.

    Today's drifts are a mostly manageable and straight-forward avalanche problem with proper terrain choices and travel techniques. Choose clean slope run outs with less severe consequences like cliffs, rocks, or terrain traps and travel mindfully by exposing only one person at a time to the potential hazard.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2

    The last reported avalanche failing on our now mostly dormant problem child, the Persistent Weak Layer (PWL) formed during the December drought, was over a week ago on Sunday, January 12th. Good news is the snowpack has slowly gotten comfortable in its own skin. The tricky part is... while the likelihood of triggering a nasty persistent slab avalanche has gone down significantly over the past few weeks, the consequences remain severe if we do.

    How do we manage the unmanageable? All the snow-pros I knows are avoiding the usual suspect slopes... steep, rocky, mid and upper elevation terrain, especially where the pack is slightly thinner. And remember... thin spots are potential trigger points and exist near bushes, rocks, or steep rollovers.

Special Announcement

Urgent battery replacement required for anyone who received batteries from one of our participating "Batteries for Beacons" shops. Please review the "Batteries for Beacons" replacement notice on our blog. Batteries distributed through our "Batteries for Beacons" program this year have shown to be inadequate length.

  • Please join the UAC at Deer Valley on January 30th for the 2nd Annual Blizzard Ball Gala. The night will be full of fun including delicious cuisine, live music, an auction, and presentation by Bruce Tremper. More info found here.

Recent Activity

A result of fierce northerly winds for the past 72 hours... a shallow, yet well connected natural avalanche reported yesterday on a steep, southeast facing slope in the wind zone of Upper Weber Canyon.

You can find trip reports and recent slides from across the range and beyond, here.

Snow and Weather

Nowcast- Dang... those winds! Yeah, 72 hours worth of northerly winds have absolutely torched our big, open bowls and penetrated mid elevation terrain as well. Blowing in the mid 30's, gusting to 70 mph and generally out of the north, with a little west and south thrown in to keep us honest... they've blasted the ridges. With clear skies overnight, temperatures cratered into negative territory. Windchill clocking in at -30 degrees is a real thing near the high peaks. If you've gotten your chores done and are looking for a quick rip, steer your snow vehicle towards wind sheltered, mid and low elevation terrain and you'll be met with a go-anywhere base and swaths of soft, creamy topper for your riding pleasure.

Forecast- Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures climbing into the upper teens and low 20's. Buzz-killing west and northwest winds blow in the 40's near the high peaks.

Futurecast- Increasing clouds on Friday opens the door to a weekend storm, but a lot of uncertainty remains with this system including its track, timing, and potential for accumulating snow... stay tuned.

Ted was in the Whitney Basin environs yesterday and got eyes on Double Hill, noting... "Yesterday's strong winds worked a lot of the exposed terrain, but there is some nice dense settled snow in sheltered areas that did not get the wind. Some of the south facing slopes developed a heat crust from the warmer temperatures yesterday."

General Announcements

The Uinta weather station network was upgraded this summer and all that real-time info is found here. Simply click on the "Western Uinta" tab and then the "Weather Stations" tab to find all your weather needs.

We are always looking for snow and avalanche observations or just general riding conditions. So... if you see something, say something. You can reach our team directly by contacting: Craig at [email protected], 801-231-2170, or Andrew at [email protected], or 860-460-8142.

General Information

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 Thursday, January 23rd at 04:00AM and expires 24 hours after it was issued. We will update the forecast by 0700 AM tomorrow. But, in the meantime reach out to us with questions, or if you see anything in your travels.

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