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Forecast for the Salt Lake Area Mountains

Drew Hardesty
Issued by Drew Hardesty on
Sunday morning, November 17, 2024
Avalanche Season has begun.
It will be possible to trigger shallow soft slabs failing on older weak snow in the upper elevation shady terrain today. These soft slabs may be 10-18" deep and up to 100' wide and may be triggered at a distance.
Updates will follow as conditions warrant.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
The 17th Annual Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW) is scheduled for Saturday December 7th - Information and tickets available here.
Weather and Snow
Skies are clear. Temperatures are in the teens to the single digits. Winds are generally light from the west-northwest but are gusting in the 20s at 11,000'. This last storm brought roughly 6-10" (0.25-0.64" water) of new snow with generally light wind from the northwest. Snow depths are 15-30" and remain thin and threadbare and in some cases just barely covering up the rocks, stumps and deadfall. Low angle grassy slopes are the ticket.
We'll have mostly clear skies this morning with increasing clouds and southwest wind by late afternoon. Temps will rise into the 20s. Another storm is on tap but should only produce 3-6" of snow. High pressure develops for the remainder of the week.
This most recent snow and wind was just enough weight to tip the balance in very localized terrain. Two parties triggered avalanches in the backcountry yesterday, with cracking and collapsing the sure giveaway to a creaky early season snowpack.
Video discussion of our current snowpack.
Recent Avalanches
One rider triggered a small soft slab avalanche that failed on weak faceted snow in Upper Silver Fork Canyon (picture below). This avalanche at 9800' on a steep north facing slope was about 12 inches deep and broke 30 feet wide. It failed on weak-faceted snow over some rocks. This time of year is particularly dangerous because even a small ride in an avalanche can tweak a knee or cause a broken bone on the shallow terrain below. You will be dragged through rocks and tree stumps (cheese grater).
Another party in the Tri-Chutes of White Pine in LCC collapsed the slope at jusst over 10,000' on a steep northwest facing slope. The avalanche pulled out 100' above them and ran 400' down the slope. The party was able to get out of the way and avoid being carried.
More observations and info can be found HERE
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Additional Information
It’s never too early to start thinking about avalanches. Here are a few things to consider doing:
  • Before traveling within one of the ski resort boundaries, even early season, check out Resort Uphill Policies
  • We have over 5 hours of free online learning at the Know Before You Go Website
  • Sign up for an on-snow class or in in person Know Before you Go Event HERE
  • Get your avalanche rescue gear ready for winter. Put fresh batteries in your transceiver and update the firmware. Inspect your shovel and probe. Get your airbag backpack ready by possibly doing a test deployment and updating the firmware if it is an electric version or getting your canister refilled if it's not electronic
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