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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

While not widespread and making up a small percentage of the terrain available to ride today, in the wind zone, at and above treeline the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE. Human triggered avalanches are LIKELY on all steep, wind drifted slopes, especially those with an westerly component to their aspect.

At mid elevations MODERATE avalanche danger is found on steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow and human triggered avalanches are possible .

Here's the outlier- today'sadditional wind loading is a potential game changer. While becoming harder to initiate, human triggered avalanches breaking into deeper, buried weak layers remains a distinct possibility, particularly on steep, rocky slopes that harbor early season snow near the ground.

Lose a little elevation to wind sheltered slopes or swing around to terrain with no old snow near the ground and you'll find LOW avalanche danger.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Winds increased overnight and there's plenty of light density snow to blow around and whip up a fresh batch of wind drifts. Heads up- east and northeast winds will create pockets of wind drifted snow on slopes with a westerly component to their aspect and that's unusual for us. Unlike earlier in the week, I think today's drifts will be deeper, break wider, and will pack more of a punch than you might expect. While the vast majority of fresh drifts formed along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges, I also think terrain features like chutes and gully walls are getting in on the act. Today you'll want to look for and avoid any fat, rounded piece of snow especially if it sounds hollow like a drum.

    Cracking out in front of your skis, board, or sled are big red flags to unstable snow.

    Road cuts and small slopes similar to the kind of terrain you want to ride are great "test slopes".... meaning, if you trigger a small slide the consequences are negligible. While I'm riding, I gather a lot of information by stomping on slopes with these characteristics and see how they react before I decide to get into big, committing terrain.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    3

    The small pocket of snow in the image above, triggered near Wolf Creek Pass Tuesday, broke into weak snow near the ground, indicating that in the right place and in the right terrain, you could still release a piece of snow that breaks to deeper buried weak layers. While remaining relatively quiet for the past few weeks, additional loading from last night's wind may help to bring dormant weak layers back to life. Remember- "persistent weak layers" in the snowpack are a headache because they remain problem children for long periods of time. And all we need to do is find one weakness, maybe around a bush or rock that we can't see buried underneath the snow, collapse the pack, and now we're getting worked by a large piece of moving of snow. The usual suspect terrain comes to mind- steep, rocky slopes with a shallow snowpack, outlying terrain with a thin, weak snowpack, and slopes that already avalanched earlier this year. So the way I'm avoiding this scenario is by simply avoiding the terrain where this setup exists.... mid and upper elevation, north facing slopes that harbor weak, early season snow near the ground.

    Steep, rocky, with a thin snowpack... complex terrain like in the image above is the kind of place where you could trigger a slide that breaks to weak snow near the ground.

Recent Activity

A few fresh wind drifts sensitive to the additional weight of a person were reported in steep, upper elevation, leeward terrain yesterday. Otherwise no news of the weird.

Snow and Weather

A very cold airmass settled into the region late yesterday and temperatures fell into a diesel gelling -5 degrees overnight. Unfortunately a storm in the four corners area is crashing our powder party, producing East and Northeast winds which blow in the 30's and 40's, creating wind chill factors registering to -35 degrees along the ridges. Under mostly cloudy skies, light snow showers are still falling adding a few traces of snow to yesterday's 2" of cold smoke. Since last Friday night we've stacked up just over a foot of new snow. Last nights wind worked our upper elevation, wind exposed terrain and I bet it looks like a moonscape this morning. However, lose a little vertical and head to mid elevation, wind sheltered terrain and you'll be rewarded with cold, soft settled snow.

Above is recent hourly data from Trial Lake (9,945') along with wind data from Windy Peak (10,662'). To view more regional weather stations click here.

Plowing is done on Mirror Lake Highway, but Wolf Creek Pass is still open. The steep slopes surrounding the pass have seen some atypical winds and have unusual loading patterns. Remember- just 'cause you can see your rig parked near Wolf Creek, doesn't mean the terrain you're choosing to ride is good to go. So, if you are getting out and about, be prepared for your own self rescue. Wear and know how to use an avalanche beacon, shovel, and probe.

Additional Info

Today, look for partly cloudy skies and temperatures struggling to get out of the single digits. Northeast winds continue to blow in the 30's and 40's throughout the day. Skies clear overnight, winds relax somewhat , and overnight lows crash into negative territory. Slightly warmer and not as windy for Saturday with another storm sliding into the area Sunday.

General Announcements

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:00 AM Saturday December 29th, 2018.

If you're getting out and about, please let me know what you're seeing especially if you see or trigger and avalanche. I can be reached at [email protected] or 801-231-2170

It's also a good time to set up one of our very popular avalanche awareness classes. Reach out to me and I'll make it happen.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

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