Avalanche forecast

Ogden

Issued Jan 28, 2021valid to Jan 29, 2021Utah 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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 years ago.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

IT IS DANGEROUS IN THE BACKCOUNTRY. A HIGH DANGER EXISTS ON ALL SLOPES UP HIGH.

NATURAL AND HUMAN TRIGGERED AVALANCHES ARE EXPECTED TODAY.

Some of these avalanches may be triggered at a distance...and some of these may step down into older weak layers, leading to a larger and more destructive avalanche.

Low angle slopes are the ticket for the next several days.

If you're leaving a resort boundary through an exit point, you are stepping into HIGH avalanche danger.

Avalanche problems

Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Very Likely
Size
2
A sea of wind slabs across the landscape. Some will be sensitive, some will be stubborn. Some have and will continue to run naturally. Drifts may be 2-4' thick and well off the ridgelines. Due to the various southerly directions and speeds, along with terrain channeling and eddying, drifts will be on all aspects and elevations. Avalanche pro Sean Zimmerman Wall's photo (1) below well describe the nature of the blowing snow. Trent's photo (2) shows the wind loading leading to the natural.

Adding insult to injury is the upside down nature of the storm snow as it is coming in heavy and sitting on lower density snow from the previous days. Even road cuts were naturalling yesterday.

Your mindset and approach should be to avoid all steep wind drifted terrain today.
Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Likely
Size
3
Our buried weak layers are only being stressed further by the wind transported snow.

The two most problematic weak layers are described below -

- A layer of faceted snow and various patches of surface hoar buried last Friday, now 12-18" deep. Natural and human triggered avalanches in this layering have occurred in the past several days.

- The old dragons in the basement - facets and depth hoar from the early low tide conditions at and near the base of the snowpack, now buried 2-4' deep. Human triggered avalanches in this layering have occurred in the past several days.

Photo of snow structure: Trent Meisenheimer

Special Avalanche Bulletin

SPECIAL AVALANCHE BULLETIN

ISSUED

What

THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS CONSIDERABLE TO HIGH IN MANY AREAS.

When

IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM MST THIS MORNING TO 6 AM MST FRIDAY

Where

FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN UTAH INCLUDING THE WASATCH RANGE...BEAR RIVER RANGE...UINTA MOUNTAINS...

Impacts

DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS EXIST. NATURAL AND HUMAN TRIGGERED AVALANCHES ARE EXPECTED. AVOID BEING ON OR BENEATH STEEP TERRAIN.

Special Announcement

SPECIAL NOTE: HALF OF ALL SKIER/SNOWBOARDER FATALITIES SINCE 99/00 HAVE OCCURRED WITH PEOPLE GOING OUT OF BOUNDS AT A SKI AREA.

Do you have the essential avalanche rescue gear (transceiver, probe, and shovel) and do you know how to use them? Watch this video to see how the three pieces of equipment work together.

Recent Activity

Many backcountry observers noted wind slab activity yesterday on many aspects and elevations, even well off the ridgelines. These soft and hard drifts were up to 2' deep...and some were triggered at a distance. Shooting cracks with propagation were the rule.

Lots of avalanches were triggered at the ski areas. While visibility was limited yesterday, I do have notable avalanches from the backcountry to report:

Bountiful Peak area natural 2' deep and 150' wide. Northeast facing at 8200'. photo below
Cutler Ridge - skier triggered slide 1-' deep and 70' wide on a northeast slope at 7700'.

Special Public Announcement: IF you trigger an avalanche near one of the resorts, please call it in to the ski patrol so they don't have to put themselves in harms way to conduct a meaningless rescue.

As always, you can find all observations and recent avalanches HERE.

Snow and Weather

Snowfall continues in the mountains.

With a 2" overnight, storm totals are about a foot of new in the Ogden mountains with about 0.7" snow-water-equivalent.

Snow conditions are thick and cakey where they haven't been either etched, eroded, or deposited into thick wind slabs.

Temperatures, as foretold, have risen during the storm and winds are shrieking even at the mid-elevations from the south and southwest. Hourly averages are 35mph with gusts to 50. Mt Ogden has gusts to 70.

We'll see continued light snowfall today with continued strong southwest winds. Temps will be in the upper 20s.

The next storm arrives later Friday into Saturday.

Mark and Trent found a few gusts up near Bountiful Peak yesterday.

Additional Info

TONIGHT AT 6PM LIVESTREAM SNOWPACK TALK BY AVY PRO NICHOLE DYE FROM POWDER MOUNTAIN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfh0KTRkMXc

Find the our most recent podcast HERE....or find the Utah Avalanche Center podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

General Announcements

Please visit this website with information about Responsible Winter Recreation by the Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE GENERAL INFO AND FAQ

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. 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.

Observations and Avalanches

Backcountry Emergency Procedures