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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Friday morning, January 10, 2025
CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger is still found in the windzone, above treeline in terrain facing northwest through north through southeast. While pockety and becoming harder to initiate, human-triggered avalanches failing to old snow are LIKELY on steep, upper elevation slopes and may produce a slide breaking 2'-4' deep and hundreds of feet wide.
In addition, you'll encounter CONSIDERABLE avalanche hazard on the south half of the compass where recent winds whip up drifts sensitive to our additional weight. And while fresh drifts may seem more manageable and predictable, don't get let your guard down... even a small slide can quickly get out of hand, producing a larger avalanche than you might expect.
Mid elevation terrain offers MODERATE avalanche danger. Human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE on steep, shady, wind sheltered slopes where you still might encounter a meaty slab that breaks to weaker layers buried in the mid portion of the snowpack.
So here's my exit strategy.... I'm finding quality riding, soft creamy snow, and generally LOW avy danger in wind sheltered, lower elevation terrain around the compass.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
Huge thanks to everyone who took time out of their busy lives to attend last nights State of the Snowpack prezo at Mammut HQ. The venue was spot on, the vibe was awesome, and I got to see old friends and make some new ones as well... what an amazing backcountry family we've got here. Thanks for allowing me into your lives... I feel immense gratitude... yeah, super blessed :)
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Weather and Snow
Nowcast - A waxing Wolf Moon ain't quite howlin' just yet, but with clear skies overhead, it still delivers an above average show, casting a beautiful light on our mountains early this morning. Northerly winds are a nuisance, blowing in the 20's and 30's near the high peaks. Temperatures hover in the diesel gelling range, wrapping up the work week in the single digits, creating windchill factors to -18 degrees along the high ridges. Recent wind events damaged the big, open, alpine bowls, but shallow creamy snow is found on wind sheltered, mid and lower elevation shady slopes..
Forecast- Seize the day and grab some vitamin D while you can. Sunny skies hang around for a good portion of the morning as temperatures climb out of the ice box and creep into the low and mid 20's. Unlike me in high school, winds stay pretty focused and consistent, blowing from the northwest with averages in the 30's and a few rogue gusts to 40 mph near the high peaks.
Futurecast- Look for increasing clouds late in the afternoon as a cold storm slides into the region overnight, delivering a nice shot of snow and water. Storminess settles in late tonight and intensifies early Saturday morning. It's a North Slope kinda storm and I'm thinking 10" of snow with .70" H2O is a good bet. The south half of the range might squeak of 6" of low density snow. In either case... a good reset none-the-less. Snow showers linger into Sunday morning with a return to sunny skies and benign weather kicking off the work week.
Current Conditions-
I know you came for the snow, but you should stick around for the sunsets... they're pretty special too. Thanks Katie for the stunning image.
All Uinta obs and trip reports can be found here.
Recent Avalanches
Reported by local legend, avy-savvy snow-pro, and recently deputized backcountry sheriff of the western Uinta's, (though background checks are still pending :), Trevor Katz submitted this wind driven natural avalanche. Breaking 4' deep and failing to to old snow on a steep, windloaded, southeast facing slope in the alpine on the Chalk Creek/Weber Canyon ridgeline. Thanks Trev.... always appreciate your obs and your insight, but more importantly you... as an amazing human.
All Uinta obs and trip reports can be found here.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
What a treat! Earlier this week on the south half of the range out of Lake Creek, Paige and I overlapped with snow-pro and avy educator extraordinaire, Joey Manship. What a pleasure to watch Joey, along with local avy-savvy pros, Tyler St. Jeor and Big Al help spread the avalanche gospel to our good friends and longtime partners, a group of law enforcement personnel from Dept. of Natural Resources. Above.... Senor Manship shares his snowpit stability test and hazard philosophy.
As we see fewer recent avalanches and less obvious signs of instability (cracking, collapsing, or whumphing sounds), it may seem like the weak layer is happy in it's own skin or at least dormant for the moment, but there is still a likely chance of triggering a large avalanche.
So... how am I managing this avalanche dragon? I'm steering clear of avalanche terrain on the north half of the compass, changing aspects, and heading for wind sheltered sunny slopes where creamy pow meets warm sunshine and delivers quality riding with less risk of triggering an unmanageably large avalanche. Hmm... seems like a good business model... I'll take it!
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
A 24 hour wind run from Currant Creek Peak (10,547') illustrates how wind transports snow, whipping up drifts, and deliver wind slabs on steep, leeward slopes, especially above treeline in the windzone.
Stiff drifts are found on the leeward side of upper elevation ridges and around terrain features like chutes and gullies with a southerly component to its aspect. For today... look for rounded, pillows of snow that may sound hollow like a drum. You know the drill... lose the wind and you lose the problem... and get great riding to boot!
Additional Information
We are deeply saddened to confirm two avalanche fatalities. The first involved a 38 year old man in Main Porter Fork of Mill Creek Canyon who went missing on Saturday. The second avalanche fatality occurred Tuesday and involved a 54 year old man off Davenport Hill into Silver Fork of BCC. Both individuals were traveling alone in the backcountry. Please know, our hearts are heavy for the family and friends of these riders.
Many thanks to those who responded to these accidents: search and rescue teams from AirMed, LifeFlight, Utah Dept Public Safety, Utah Department of Transportation, Salt Lake County Search and Rescue, Wasatch Backcountry Rescue, Alta Ski Area, and members of the Utah Avalanche Center.
General Announcements
The Uinta weather station network was upgraded this summer and all that real-time info is found here. Simply click on the "Western Uinta" tab and then the "Weather Stations" tab to find all your weather needs.
We are always looking for snow and avalanche observations or just general riding conditions. So... if you see something, say something. You can reach our team directly by contacting: Craig at craig@utahavalanchecenter.org, 801-231-2170, or Andrew at andy@utahavalanchecenter.org, or 860-460-8142.
General Information
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. This forecast was issued on Friday, January 10th at 04:00AM and expires 24 hours after it was issued. We will update the forecast by 0700 AM tomorrow. But, in the meantime reach out to us with questions, or if you see anything in your travels.
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