Bulletin d’avalanche

Salt Lake

Émis le Jan 30, 2020valide jusqu’au Jan 31, 2020Utah Avalanche Center

Danger d’avalanche

Alpin
Limite forestière
Sous la limite forestière

Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 7 years ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Today at upper elevations, the avalanche danger is MODERATE. Winds increased overnight after being fairly calm yesterday. Watch for fresh slabs of wind drifted snow. People have triggered slides at upper elevations over the last few days. At mid and low elevations, conditions are generally safe and the danger is LOW.

Problèmes avalancheux

Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Alpin
Limite forestière
Sous la limite forestière
Probabilité
Possible
Taille
2
Soft slabs of wind drifted snow are the main avalanche problem to look for today. Fortunately, these wind slabs are easy to identify visually which makes them easy to avoid. Increased winds overnight at upper elevations drifted more snow and will keep these wind slabs possible to trigger today.

Overall the snowpack is strong and stable and many people have found great riding and good stability. The main thing to do is avoid upper elevation, wind-loaded slopes.

Recent avalanche activity is a good indication of what to expect today like one in the photo below (J. Collett) from Cardiff Peak on Tuesday.

Special Announcement

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Recent Activity

There were two reported avalanches yesterday. One was on Little Superior on a south aspect about a foot deep that ran on top of a buried ice crust. Another was on a north aspect nearby in Days Fork that was 18 inches deep and 200 feet wide.

On Tuesday similar slides were triggered on Lake Peak, Mt Tuscarora, Mt Superior, and Cardiff Peak. Many others were triggered on Monday. What these slides have in common is that they generally occurred at upper elevations above 9,500 feet. They have been 6-12 inches deep on both north and south aspects. Most have been less than 100 feet wide. See the full list of avalanche activity HERE.

Ski areas have triggered similar soft slabs in recent days.

Photo - Avalanche in Days Fork yesterday (Wed, Jan 29th).

Snow and Weather

Yesterday had clouds stuck over many areas with just a trace to one inch of snow falling. Winds were mostly light through the day. This morning, winds at upper elevations are blowing 10-20 mph and gusting 20-40 mph from the W and NW. Temperatures are in the teens F without huge differences with elevation.

Today skies will be mostly cloudy with another chance for about an inch of snow. Winds will remain elevated compared to yesterday but will mostly be confined to upper elevations. Temperatures should climb into the 20s F.

Great riding conditions exist on most slopes. The powder is dense but fun, fast, and surfy on all aspects and elevations.

Making plans for this weekend? - Strong sunshine and very warm temperatures will make the snow wet on south aspects and low elevations. Get an early start if headed out on Saturday. Starting Sunday night going into Monday, very cold temperatures and decent snowfall arrive.

Additional Info

On many slopes the danger is low, but this doesn't mean avalanches are impossible. It just means they are unlikely. Under these conditions, make a plan before you blindly ride a slope. Many slopes will have wind drifted snow just at the top or sometimes just one side. Avoid those sections and you can avoid avalanches.

Yesterday Bruce Tremper and I found a layer of graupel that had pooled underneath some rock slabs in Neffs Canyon. This layer seemed strong, but we don't like taking chances. We simply skied a short distance away from the rock slabs in the trees where this layer didn't exist.

Small variations in where you ski are ride can mean triggering an avalanche or not.

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.

Observations and Avalanches

Backcountry Emergency Procedures