Avalanche forecast

Salt Lake

Issued Dec 20, 2021valid to Dec 21, 2021Utah Avalanche Center

Avalanche danger

Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline

Out of date — this forecast expired 5 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS CONSIDERABLE on steep slopes facing northwest, north, northeast, and east at the mid and upper elevations.

Deadly and dangerous human-triggered avalanches 2-5' deep and hundreds of feet wide are likely on steep shady slopes at the mid and upper elevations. Avalanches can be triggered from a distance, even hundreds of feet away.

Avalanche problems

Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpine
Treeline
Below treeline
Likelihood
Likely
Size
3
The BOTTOM LINE is that dangerous avalanche conditions exist on mid and upper elevation slopes facing west through north through east where 2-3' of storm snow and wind-blown snow over the past ten days have overloaded weak, faceted snow in the bottom of the snowpack. Avalanches may break down 2-5' deep (possibly deeper) and propagate hundreds of feet wide.

FORTUNATELY, THE TRAVEL ADVICE IS SIMPLE:

If you want to ride terrain on the northerly (shady) side of the compass, you must choose slopes under 30° degrees in steepness with nothing steep above you.

The other option: ride slopes that DO NOT have weak faceted snow. These are slopes facing southeast, south, and southwest. Here the sun melted away the old October/November snow to the dirt, and there is no weak layer, so there is no avalanche problem on these slopes.

Snow and Weather

High pressure will continue over Northern Utah today, allowing for mostly clear skies and warm temperatures. Temperatures will rise into the mid 30's °F at 8,500', and you might see the occasional mid-to-high cloud stream by overhead; otherwise, it will be sunny. The current mountain temperatures are inverted with the 11,000' temperature at 25°F and the 7,400' temperature at 13°F. Winds are currently from the southwest at speeds of 10-15 mph across the upper elevations.

Backcountry riders can find Greg's excellent Week in Review HERE.

Additional Info

If you trigger or see an avalanche adjacent to the road or one of the ski areas and are sure no one was caught in the avalanche, call the nearest mountain dispatch and alert them to the situation, this will allow SAR teams to stand down, preventing them from being subjected to unnecessary hazard.

Salt Lake and Park City – Alta Central (801-742-2033)

Canyons Resort/PCMR Dispatch (435 -615-1911)

Snowbasin Resort Dispatch (801-620-1017)

Powder Mountain Dispatch (801-745-3772 x 123).

Sundance Dispatch (801-223-4150)

Recent Activity

The string of remotely triggered slides continues to pour into the UAC. Be sure to look at all of these reports with photos/videos, etc. can be found under Observations and Avalanches in the menu above.

Of note: was an avalanche out of Hidden Canyon near Brighton Ski Resort. This avalanche was on a northerly facing slope at 9,600' in elevation. It failed roughly 600' wide and anywhere from 2-4' deep, running into a nasty terrain trap that terminates into thick trees. The avalanche was reported by someone else to Brighton Ski Patrol, and upon inspection, it showed two tracks entering the avalanche with no tracks coming out the bottom. Brighton & Solitude Ski Patrols were called into the scene, and they were able to use Recco, along with two dog teams, to search the debris field. Luckily it was determined that nobody was caught in this avalanche. Please, if you trigger an avalanche, report it. There is no need to put others in harm's way if nobody is caught in the avalanche.

General Announcements

Who's up for some free avalanche training? Get a refresher, become better prepared for an upcoming avalanche class, or just boost your skills. Go to https://learn.kbyg.org/ and scroll down to Step 2 for a series of interactive online avalanche courses produced by the UAC.

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