Ogden

Problemi valanghivi

• 

  Persistent Slabs

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alta quota
  • Limite del bosco
  • Sotto il limite del bosco

  Probabilità

  Likely

  Dimensione

  3

  Dangerous avalanche conditions exist on all slopes facing Northwest through North through East where 1-3' of new storm snow, and wind-blown snow has overloaded the weak, faceted snow from January and February. Our PWL locator rose continues to expand, as we have now seen multiple human triggered and natural avalanches occurring on facets within those lower elevation bands (below 7000').

  We have already begun seeing widespread avalanche activity within this layer, with every bump of wind and new snowfall event these avalanches are only becoming larger, more destructive, and more deadly. Avalanches may break down 1-3' deep, possibly deeper, and propagate up to 100' wide. Either way, these avalanches are likely to be unsurvivable.

  A few words of caution:

  • Signs of instability may not always be present: you may or may not see or experience shooting cracks or audible whumping.
  • Tracks on the slope offer zero signs of stability. Avalanches will take out multiple existing tracks.
  • You can trigger these avalanches from a distance or below.
  • Still continue to look for signs of new snow instabilities such as cracking, and collapsing. Triggering an avalanche that initially fails in any lingering storm snow or stubborn wind drifted snow could easily step down more deeply into the weak faceted snow.

  Bottom Line: There is no outsmarting this problem - avoidance is the answer. If you're traveling on the shady side of the compass, be sure to stick to terrain that's under 30° degrees in slope steepness with nothing steep above or adjacent to you.

• 

  Wind Slabs

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alta quota
  • Limite del bosco
  • Sotto il limite del bosco

  Probabilità

  Possible

  Dimensione

  2

  Winds picked up again overnight, currently gusting near 40 mph. With so much new snow available for transport, even a small bump in winds will begin drifting snow. Sustained high winds can deposit snow around terrain features on almost any aspect, called cross-loading. For this reason, I would expect to find slabs of wind drifted snow at all upper and mid-elevation slopes, especially along with terrain features such as ridgelines, sub ridges, and gullies.

  These wind drifts will be particularly touchy at upper elevation aspects facing west through north through east, where the wind drifted snow will be sitting on top of the weak faceted snow. Any wind drifted snow or new snow avalanche triggered can step down into deeper weaker layers creating a much larger avalanche.

  Today look for slopes with any signs of wind drifted snow, such as cracking, hollow noises, and pillow-shaped snow, and avoiding those slopes.

• 

  Loose Wet

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alta quota
  • Limite del bosco
  • Sotto il limite del bosco

  Probabilità

  Possible

  Dimensione

  2

  Winds today should help keep the snow from heating up too much, but with clear skies, and direct sunlight it wouldn't take much for the new snow to warm quickly, become wet, and begin producing wet loose avalanches.

  The balance between sunshine, air temperatures, radiation, and wind all determine how warm and wet the snow becomes, and it is hard to know exactly how all those meteorological inputs will add up. The main point is to always expect some wet loose avalanches as the day heats up and to look for clues of a rising danger. Signs that wet avalanches will start happening include; seeing other small wet slides, seeing snowballs or pinwheels roll downhill with increasing frequency, and seeing upper layers of snow become increasingly wet.