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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago.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

Highlights

For today, MODERATE avalanche danger exists at and above treeline, and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE breaking up to 4 feet deep into sugary, faceted snow near the ground. At upper elevations in the windzone, fresh wind drifts will also be reactive to our additional weight and, once triggered, could break deeper into faceted snow near the ground.

Right now, I am steering clear of avalanche terrain and slopes greater than 30° on the north half of the compass and, in turn, heading for sunny southerly aspects that lack old, faceted snow but still have quality riding.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Yesterday, a solo rider triggered this persistent slab avalanche from below and was caught, carried but walked away clean -- See more from their excellent write-up, here.

    It's in the name, rotten November snow turned persistent weak layer sits beneath a strong, cohesive slab that is beginning to show its teeth. Much of this weak snow sits beneath a rain crust that formed prior to Christmas, now buried under 1-2' of snow, making the riding and snowpack feel solid under our sled, skis, or board. It's still tricky out there though as we are seeing fewer red flags or warning signs for this avalanche problem, like cracking and collapsing. But it is still possible to trigger, and all we need to do is find a shallow spot where we can punch through the slab and impact the weak layer below. Once triggered, were staring down the barrel of a nasty and consequential avalanche. See this snowpack structure for yourself as the proof is in the powder pudding -- Pull out the shovel or trench your track down, and you will surely see the dense, strong slab sitting above weak, old, faceted snow near the ground.

    Remember, we can trigger persistent slab avalanches remotely or from a distance, meaning we don't have to be directly on the slope to trigger the slide. Persistent slab avalanches are not a manageable avalanche problem, avoidance is the best tool.

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2

    A southeast facing slope near 10,000' where a wind slab failed naturally during a period of strong winds, see more on this slide, here.

    Cold winds blowing from the north created fresh drifts on mid and upper elevation slopes around the compass. Breaking up to 2' deep, today's drifts sit on a variety of snow surfaces including the Christmas rain crust, and once triggered may run further and pack more of a punch than you might expect.

    Look for and avoid rounded pillows and textured snow near ridges and high peaks that may sound hollow like a drum. With wind blowing from multiple directions and a range of speeds over the past couple of days, avoid ross-loaded terrain features like chutes, gully walls, and cut-banks that could catch us off guard mid-slope. Remember, if you get out of the wind zone, you get away from the wind slabs!

Recent Activity

Yesterday, a solo rider triggered a persistent slab avalanche from below and was subsequently caught, carried, but not buried. You can read more on their experience via the write-up submitted here.

A north-facing slope at 9,800' in Neeley Basin, where a solo rider remotely triggered an avalanche up to 4' deep and nearly 200' wide.

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Snow and Weather

Nowcast - A crisp and clear Uinta is on hand with temperatures slightly inverted right now with trailheads reading single digits and the high peaks around 11,000' averaging about 15°F. Northerly winds have continued to blow overnight, around 20 MPH. The range definitely got a good zap of cold weather, and it has helped to preserve much of the snow surface and riding conditions we have.

Forecast - For today, enjoy sunny skies with a high near 25 that may still feel a bit brisk with wind chill. Near the high peaks, winds averaging 10-20 MPH gusting into the high 20's and 30's blow throughout the late morning, but look to back off slightly this afternoon.

Futurecast - Blue skies will carry us through to the new year, and hopefully bring along another shot of snow later this week!

Travel Conditions - The range is finally white, and it's starting to feel like winter again! Snow depths range from 2-4' across the Uintas, with generally supportable snow surfaces in most places due to a stout rain crust laid down before Christmas. In general, most aspects are riding well at mid and upper elevations and turning and riding is currently 3-4 stars on all aspects and mid and upper elevations. Four-wheeled vehicle access to Mirror Lake Highway (HW150) is shut down, while SR-35 (Wolf Creek Pass) remains open.

With Wolf Creek Pass and SR-35 remaining open, tons of folks were out getting theirs yesterday, laying down trenches and tracks anywhere that was white.

Meanwhile, things were quiet where Ted was near Gold Hill on the North Slope and noted, "There is good supportability, and coverage is getting better to start venturing off the main roads." (via Ted S.). You can read more about his travels here.

Additional Info

This fleet can't be beat! Huge thanks to Ski-Doo in partnership with Karl Malone's Plaza Cycle, for arranging our sled, loaner program. This vital state-wide partnership gets sleds into the hands of UAC forecasters, allowing us to see more terrain, gather more snowpack information, and issue more accurate avalanche forecasts. Ultimately, this program helps us save lives!

General Announcements

We have some upcoming classes and events that we would be stoked to see you at -- Please reach out with any questions and check out below for more details!

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We are always looking for snow and avalanche observations or just general riding conditions. Reach out to us with questions, concerns, or if you see anything in your travels! Contact us directly through the info below:

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 Monday, December 29th at 0500 AM and expires 24 hours after it was issued. We'll update this information by 07:00 AM tomorrow.

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