Avalanche forecast

Uintas

Utah Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

  • Alpine
  • Treeline
  • Below treeline
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Heads up... it's gonna be touchy out there today. While we slept, Mother Nature added a little spice to the recipe, the storm blossomed, and avy danger changed overnight-

CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exists in upper elevation terrain, especially on wind drifted slopes above treeline in the windzone. Human triggered avalanches are LIKELY, particularly on steep, rocky slopes facing the north half of the compass where the snowpack is thin and several layers of stronger, dense snow rest on top of weak, sugary, early season snow. Avoidance is key... because once triggered, we're gonna be staring down the barrel of a body-bruising and potentially season ending slide that breaks deeper and wider than we might expect.

Mid elevation terrain offers MODERATE avalanche danger. Human triggered storm snow avalanches and fresh drifts are POSSIBLE on steep, shady slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    3

    This is the avalanche dragon that'll roll us-

    Mid and upper elevation slopes facing the north half of the compass harbor early-season snow that grew weak and sugary during the November dryspell. Now we've got several dense layers of storm snow resting on a junk in the trunk, structurally weak foundation. Remember, our persistent weak layer problem child is in it's teenage years, has a short fuse, and it doesn't take a lot to get it aggravated. Once triggered, today's avalanches will break deeper and wider than you expect, delivering a wicked curveball to our day.

    Wolf Creek Pit Profile

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2

    24 hour data dump from Windy Peak (10,662') illustrating the direction, velocity, and duration of winds near the high peaks, especially once the storm rolled in.

    We can easily avoid this avalanche dragon-

    Strong winds blowing from the west and southwest, team up with a solid shot of storm snow and I suspect there's no shortage of fresh drifts that'll react to our additional weight. Found mostly on the leeward side of mid and upper elevation ridges, I'd also steer clear of cross-loaded terrain features like chutes and gullies. You know the program... loose the wind and you loose the problem. Yeah, simply steer clear of dense, rounded, pillows of snow, especially if they sound hollow like a drum. Loose some elevation and seek out wind sheltered terrain where you'll find spongy, reboundable snow.

Recent Activity

No new avy activity to report from yesterday, but audible collapses (whumpfs) and shooting cracks like in the image above from the Wolf Creek zone are big red flags, suggesting the snowpack is getting cranky.

Deets on a close call in the Humpy Drainage earlier this month are found here. In addition, you can find an abundance of trip reports and observations from across the range and beyond, just click on the button below.

View All Observations Here

Snow and Weather

Nowcast - Wow... what a nice surprise! Last nights storm lit up the eastern front with an evenly distributed 10 inches of snow and about an inch of H20. In other words, slightly higher than our average snow density. With mostly cloudy skies overhead, trailhead temperatures clock in right around freezing while the ridges begin their day in the upper 20's F. Near the high peaks, winds blowing 40-50 mph from the west and southwest add a buzz-killing bite to the air. But don't let your help be troubled... lose a little elevation, get out of the wind, steer your snow riding rig towards sheltered terrain and you'll be rewarded with soft, creamy snow.

Forecast - Under mostly cloudy skies, snow showers taper off later this morning, though we might squeak a couple more inches out of the storm before it shuts down midday. Near the peaks, winds blowing 30-40 mph from the west are gonna be a nuisance, but should relax as the day wares on. High temperatures climb into the mid 30's F and dip into mid 20's F overnight.

Futurecast - Another wet, windy impulse is in the queue to round out the weekend.

Visit Here For Additional Weather Information

Travel Conditions -

All the snowpros I knows report a tale of two snowpacks. Old snow near the ground on slopes facing the north half of the compass has grown weak and very sugary, while many sunny slopes are still waiting for the invite to the company-wide Holiday Party.

Ted visited the Bald Mountain area Thursday and I was in the Wolf Creek Zone. I'm still crunching the numbers, but if my math is correct... five out of five avalanche forecasters surveyed report a white from far, but far from white snowpack along with a few collapses in rocky slopes where the pack is shallow.

Meanwhile, Andy visited the South Slope on Tuesday.

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!

See All Courses & Events Here

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 Saturday, December 20th at 0400 AM and expires 24 hours after it was issued. We'll update this information by 07:00 AM tomorrow.

Regions covered