Avalanche forecast

Salt Lake

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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 years ago.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

The avalanche danger is MODERATE on all steep upper elevation slopes, where sensitive wind drifts, sluffs and new snow soft slabs can be triggered.

There is also a MODERATE danger for triggering a deeper slide failing on facets near the ground. These deeper slides are becoming easier to trigger, and the most likely slopes would be an upper elevation slope facing northwest through north through easterly, with a shallow snowpack.

Travel one at a time in steep terrain, keep your partner in sight and be in position to get to them quickly should there be an avalanche.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Steady ridgeline winds are forecast for the day, which will blow the low density snow into sensitive drifts or wind slabs. With faster wind speeds, these drifts will be more widespread than yesterday. Mountain terrain channels the wind in odd ways, so look for these soft to medium, rounded wind slabs or drifts on a variety of aspects and elevations. They will be on the lee sides of ridge crests and around terrain features, like gully walls, sub ridges and down into open bowls at both the mid and upper elevations. Lingering drifts from yesterday’s strange southeasterly winds hidden beneath the snow.

    Out of the wind affected terrain, new snow sluffs and a few cracky soft slabs can be triggered on steep slopes of all aspects. Consequences are important - even a small sluff can be serious if it takes you into trees, off a cliff or for a long ride.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    3

    The small storms are sneaking up on us - in the last week, upper elevations in the Cottonwoods have had up to 2 feet of snow, with over 1.5” of water and the Park City side about a foot of snow containing an inch of water. There have been 2 skier triggered slides in the last 4 days breaking near ground on the weak, sugary faceted snow. Both were on slopes with old faceted October snow near the ground and that had a shallow snowpack because they avalanched already this winter (know as “repeaters”.

    The old faceted, sugary October snow layer is most widespread on upper elevations northwest, north, northeast and easterly facing terrain. Slopes with a shallow snow pack, less than about a meter deep, included “repeater” slopes in the core Cottonwoods zone, upper-elevation alpine terrain that was wind-scoured, as well as traditionally thinner snowpack areas such as the Park City ridgeline and Millcreek Canyon.

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Recent Activity

On South Monitor, a skier triggered slide failed on facets near the ground yesterday. It broke a couple turns above the skier, but they were able to get out to the side avoiding a long ride. It was about 15 inches deep by 60 feet wide, on an easterly facing slope, at about 9990'. Photos below, and a great observation here.

In addition, a few natural new snow sluffs ran early this morning on the steep south facing slide paths in Little Cottonwood during the heaviest snowfall. Yesterday, small new snow sluffs, shallow wind drifts and sensitive cornices were triggered by people.

Snow and Weather

An additional 2 to 4” of snow fell overnight, capping off a great week of small storms. Seven day snow totals are now one to 2 feet in the Cottonwoods, and about 10” on the Park City side. There is excellent powder on all aspects, though a few upper elevation southerly facing slopes may have a thin rime crust buried beneath the newest snow.

Snowfall is rapidly tapering off this morning and skies will become partly cloudy by afternoon. Temperatures are currently in the low teens, and will warm into the upper teens to low 20s by afternoon. Winds have shifted to a northerly direction, averaging 15 to 20 mph along the higher ridge lines, gusting to 30 mph. Speeds average 5 to 10 mph at the mid elevations.

General Announcements

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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.

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