Our partners, the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, with the Snowbird Renaissance Center, are hosting the annual Utah Backcountry Awareness Benefit Dinner and Silent Auction Friday, February 13th, from 5:30-9:00 pm, at Snowbird. It’s a bit of a splurge, but it’s always a very enjoyable evening. Included is dinner, a silent auction, inspirational speaker Chris Waddell chronicling how he overcame a life-changing college skiing accident to become the most decorated male skier in Paralympic history, plus live entertainment by “Stormy Mountain Boys”. For details and tickets, go to the Snowbird Renaissance Center's web site.

The avalanche danger is MODERATE on mid and upper elevation slopes steeper than about 35 degrees, facing northwest through east. MODERATE means human triggered slides are possible. If the winds increase where you are today, fresh drifts of windblown snow will rapidly build, and as always, should be avoided on steep slopes.

Yesterday’s quiet little storm spread snow evenly across the northern mountains from Ogden to the Cottonwoods, with most areas receiving 8 to 11” above about 8,000’. Densities averaged 6-7%. The Provo area mountains pulled ahead on the southerly flow, picking up just over a foot, with 1.3 inches of water, at 7,500’, and I would suspect even more at the higher elevations. This morning, skies are partly cloudy in the Ogden area mountains, temperatures are in the low twenties, and the southeasterly winds are surprisingly light. Even the exposed stations are averaging only 10 mph, and gusts are less than 20. The new snow isn’t quite enough to fill in all the old tracks, but you’ll feel them less on the shady slopes with underlying soft snow and on lower angle slopes.

Yesterday, in the Ogden area mountains, sluffs, super-soft slabs and wind drifts were easily triggered within the new snow on steep slopes, most sensitive and longest running on slopes facing northwest through east. Size wise, most of these slides were harmless, but some were big enough to catch and carry an unaware person. The snow was the most cracky and sensitive in terrain affected by the few hours of stronger, gusty winds or during the time of heaviest snowfall yesterday morning.

Another band of moisture is struggling north this morning, and may not quite reach the Ogden area mountains. If it does, it will generate mostly cloudy skies and light snow showers. A trace to 2 inches of snow is possible today and again tonight. The southerly winds may increase into the 10 to 20 mph range, with gusts to 25. Temperatures will be in the low 30s at 8,000’ and the low 20s at 10,000’. Mostly cloudy skies with occasional snow showers will continue through Monday, with a better chance for significant snow Monday night as a cold front moves through.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides did not fly on Friday and most likely won’t fly today due to weather. Operations planning page is here.

The last of the Beaver Mountain Discount tickets have been reduced to $35, with all proceeds going to the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. Click HERE for details.

Tickets are now available for the annual Backcountry Awareness Dinner on February 13th, with registration through the Snowbird Renaissance Center.

Beacon training parks are up and running! There is one at Snowbasin, one on the Park City side at the top of Canyon’s gondola, one in Little Cottonwood near the Snowbird parking structure on the bypass road, and in Big Cottonwood a training park is at the west end of Solitude's lower parking lot.

If you want to get this avalanche advisory e-mailed to you daily click HERE.

For a text only version, the link is on the left side bar, near the top.

UDOT highway avalanche control work info can be found by calling (801) 975-4838. Our statewide toll free line is 1-888-999-4019 (early morning, option 8).

The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work. To find out more about how you can support our efforts to continue providing the avalanche forecasting and education that you expect please visitour Friends page.

Your snow and avalanche observations help everyone in the backcountry community. Please let us know what you're seeing by leaving a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@utahavalanchecenter.org. (Fax 801-524-6301).

The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

Brett will update this advisory by 7:30 tomorrow morning.