Bulletin d’avalanche

Uintas

Utah Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

  • Alpin
  • Limite forestière
  • Sous la limite forestière
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 8 years ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Heads up-

The avalanche danger will change overnight, ramping up during the day Sunday

While not widespread and making up a small portion of the terrain available to ride today, in the wind zone, at and above treeline the avalanche danger is MODERATE. Human triggered avalanches are possible on steep slopes with recent deposits of wind drifted snow.

Also... while more the exception than the rule and more pronounced in upper elevation terrain and on slopes with a thin snowpack, an avalanche triggered in steep, rocky terrain has the potential to quickly get out of hand if it breaks into deeper buried weak layers near the ground.

If you're looking for LOW avalanche danger, simply head to wind sheltered slopes with no steep terrain above or connected to where you're riding.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Possible
    Taille
    2

    I think the vast majority of wind drifts are either welded in place or lack energy and are lifeless. However, the Uinta's are a big place and there may still be a rogue slab or two lurking along the leeward side of upper elevation ridges or even a little lower downslope than we usually experience due to the sustained strength of the New Years Eve northeast wind event. In addition, look for recent drifts cross-loaded around terrain features like chutes and gully walls. As always, look for and avoid any fat, rounded piece of snow especially if it sounds hollow like a drum. Remember- cracking out in front of your skis, board, or sled are big red flags to unstable snow.

    Chutes and gullies, complex and cross-loaded... the image above illustrates plenty of terrain features where recent winds cross-loaded terrain features, creating pockets of stiff wind drifted snow that may still be reactive to our additional weight.

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Unlikely
    Taille
    2

    It feels like we're trending towards a stronger snowpack and there's not much going on in the zones where the pack is deep. But remember- "persistent weak layers" in the snowpack are a headache because all we need to do is find one weakness, maybe around a bush or rock that we can't see buried underneath the snow, collapse the pack, and now we're getting worked by a large piece of moving of snow. The usual suspect terrain comes to mind- steep, rocky slopes with a shallow snowpack, along with periphery terrain which harbors a thin, weak snowpack, and slopes that already avalanched earlier this year. So the way I'm avoiding this scenario is by simply avoiding the terrain where this setup exists.

    Above... both a viddy and snowpit describing what we saw in our upper elevation travels yesterday around the Mirror Lake environs.

Recent Activity

No news of any significant avalanche activity.

Snow and Weather

Above the valley funk, gunk, and cold, damp temperatures the mountain air is clear and temperatures hover in the mid 20's.... several warmer than in the City of Salt. Southerly winds bumped into the 30 and 40 mph range and have been blowing steadily for about 24 hours along the high peaks. Riding and turning conditions are a mixed bag. The New Years Eve winds punished our big, open terrain, transforming many slopes into a wind sculpted tundra. However, don't let your heart be troubled.... lose some elevation, head to wind sheltered terrain, and you'll be rewarded with cold, shallow, pow.

Above is recent hourly data from Trial Lake (9,945') along with wind data from Windy Peak (10,662'). To view more regional weather stations click here.

A weather station project on Lofty Lake Peak with my colleagues Mark Staples and Ted Scroggin provided great comradery, a taste of the snowpack structure, along with some spectacular views.

Additional Info

Today we can expect increasing high clouds with temperatures climbing into the mid 30's. Southwest winds increase into the 30's along the high ridges as the day wares on. A little more sunshine is on tap for early Saturday with a weak storm sliding through the region Sunday.

General Announcements

The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after the date and time posted, but will be updated by 7:00 AM Sunday January 6th, 2019.

If you're getting out and about, please let me know what you're seeing especially if you see or trigger and avalanche. I can be reached at [email protected] or 801-231-2170

It's also a good time to set up one of our very popular avalanche awareness classes. Reach out to me and I'll make it happen.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

Régions couvertes