Observation: Central Bear River Range

Here's a video look at the large natural Cornice Ridge Avalanche that occurred early Christmas Eve as an energetic cold front moved through the region....

Views into the Mount Naomi Wilderness and Cottonwood Canyon revealed evidence of widespread natural avalanche activity.

A panorama from the top of Cornice Ridge shows the shallow coverage on the Central Bear River Spine.

Here's views of some natural avalanches in the Tony Grove Lake and Blind Hollow Saddle Areas. All these avalanches occurred round the same time, as the Tony Grove Snotel reported an inch of water gain overnight and the UDOT Hwy 89 Logan Summit weather station reported 58 mph wind gusts and sustained west northwest wind early Christmas Eve morning.

The rain crust from 12-23-2013 is quite apparent in most areas, now covered by around 6 inches of re-crystallized graupel-filled snow.  The breakable <1 to 5 cm translucent crust is on the surface and thick on the ridge tops and exposed west facing slopes, making for tricky traveling conditions in places.