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Observation: Silver Lake Highway

Observation Date
1/24/2025
Observer Name
Hardesty
Region
Provo » American Fork » Tibble Fork » Silver Lake Highway
Location Name or Route
Silver Lake Highway
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
Southwest
Wind Speed
Calm
Weather Comments
Occasional light snowfall that didn't add to anything. Early hints of strong southwest wind but nothing materialized. Warm.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Faceted Loose
Wind Crust
Melt-Freeze Crust
Snow Characteristics Comments
Smorgasbord of crusts. Some solar crusts have a thin skiff of facets just above; some protected polar aspects hold recrystallized snow (but not that loose).
Travel was from Tibble Fork reservoir at 6400' north to the Silver Lake Highway; topped out at 9400'. Descended the Other Runs to the east back to Silver Lake Flat.
Red Flags
Red Flags Comments
No red flags.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Problem #1 Comments
Jumped on a bunch of test slopes up to 9500' but all welded in.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
HS roughly 120-140cm up to 9400'. Basal facets seem dormant at this time with 4F+ hardness. See profile below.
This is way different than the south side of AF canyon and along the north side of Timpanogos (See Meisenheimer report from 1/22/25 and Hardesty report from 1/15/25 and Gagne/Costa report 1/16/25 from UFO Bowls.
The Timp Divide snotel site at 8170' (see them all HERE) is currently 58% of median (see below) and the coverage (see photos of Box Elder and the north side of Timp) look as if it were Thanksgiving or early December.
Comments
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Low
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
None
Coordinates