Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Logan Area Mountains Issued by Toby Weed for Sunday - January 12, 2014 - 7:24am
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There is a HIGH or Level 4 danger, and large and destructive avalanches are likely on drifted slopes in the backcountry. Triggered wind slab and very dangerous deep slab avalanches are likely on steep drifted slopes, and large natural avalanches are possible in many areas today. Avoid all travel in avalanche terrain today, stay off of and out from under steep slopes and obvious or historic avalanche paths.
avalanche warning

THIS AVALANCHE WARNING IS FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH, TO INCLUDE THE WESTERN UINTA MOUNTAINS. VERY DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS EXIST THROUGH THE WEEKEND...AVOID BEING ON OR BENEATH STEEP MOUNTAIN SLOPES...AS AVALANCHES MAY BE TRIGGERED LOW ON THE SLOPE AS WELL. THIS WARNING DOES NOT INCLUDE SKI AREAS OR HIGHWAYS WHERE AVALANCHE CONTROL IS NORMALLY DONE.
special announcement

For a safer powder option; Discount lift tickets are available at Backcountry.com - Thanks to Ski Utah and the Utah Resorts, including Beaver Mountain. All proceeds go towards paying for Utah Avalanche Center avalanche and mountain weather advisories.
current conditions

Very dangerous avalanche conditions exist in the backcountry, with drifted and inverted heavy new snow, difficult trail-breaking, and safe riding limited to lower angled meadows and packed trails. The heavy new snow is accumulating and being drifted onto slopes with widespread very weak preexisting sugary or faceted snow.
recent activity

A Utah rider triggered and was caught, carried and fully buried by a very large hard slab avalanche north of the Idaho State Line. The 3 to 5 foot deep and perhaps 500' wide avalanche failed on weak snow near the ground. The severely injured rider had to be rope hauled back up the steep slope in a heroic late night rescue effort by Cache, Franklin, and Bear Lake County SAR. The east face of Logan Peak apparently also avalanched wall to wall and to the ground yesterday, and we're still unsure of the trigger.


Here's a nighttime look at the deep crown of the avalanche.

Avalanche Problem 1
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Very dangerous human triggered avalanches failing in old weak faceted snow or in the basal layers of the existing snow pack are likely on steep drifted slopes today. You could trigger huge avalanches remotely, from a distance, or worse, from below.

Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Here are are few reasons why you should avoid travel in avalanche terrain today:

  1. Large avalanches occurred in the Logan Zone yesterday, and naturals probably did overnight.

2. Observed audible collapsing or whoompfing

​ 3. Shooting cracks observed, deep and long

4. Serious and significant drifting overnight and ongoing today

5. Heavy snow and rapid overnight accumulations

Wind slab, storm snow, persistent slab, and deep slab avalanches are all possible in the backcountry today.
weather

We'll see stormy weather again in the mountains today, with continuing very strong and sustained west winds and 5 to 9 inches of additional accumulation forecast.

Check out our one stop weather page........HERE
general announcements

Utah Avalanche Center mobile app - Get your advisory on your iPhone along with great navigation and rescue tools.

-The Utah Avalanche Center along with the Montana State University Ski Tracks project combines GPS technology with detailed logbook surveys completed by participants to help us understand how and why decisions are made in the winter backcountry. Participants will use a free smartphone app to record and send us their ski routes then, they will complete a simple online survey telling us some of the features of their tour. For more information visit:    www.montana.edu/snowscience/tracks

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you shop from Backcountry.com or REI:  Click this link for Backcountry.com or this link to REI, shop, and they will donate a percent of your purchase price to the UAC.  Both offer free shipping (with some conditions) so this costs you nothing!

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on ebay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your ebay account here and click on ebay gives when you buy or sell.  You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny.

Remember your information can save lives. If you see anything we should know about, please participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting snow and avalanche conditions. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, email by clicking HERE, or include #utavy in your tweet or Instagram.

Follow us at UAClogan on Twitter 

I'll issue these advisories on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday mornings. 

This advisory is produced by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. It describes only general avalanche conditions and local variations always exist.