Avalanche Advisory
| Advisory: Salt Lake Area Mountains | Issued by Brett Kobernik for March 21, 2013 - 6:24am |
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Above 9,500 ft.
8,000-9,500 ft.
Below 8,000 ft.
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bottom line The avalanche danger is generally MODERATE. Human triggered avalanches are possible. Watch for instabilities within the new snow especially in areas where the wind has drifted it into fresh slabs.
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special announcement Ever stop to wonder what life in Utah would be like without non-profit organizations? No Park City trails, community gardens, shelters for homeless people or pets, programs for kids in need, environmental advocacy groups, or avalanche centers? Sounds grim. All these groups exist because people like you value them enough to pay for them. If you value these services, please show your support. Please go to http://loveutgiveut.razoo.com/giving_events/utah13/home on Friday to learn more about how you benefit from these services and how you can help them. Unfortunately, we were not able to generate the critical mass of registered participants necessary to make the 12 Hours of Canyons event viable . . . this year. But we’re coming back with a vengeance next winter, so stay fit and look forward to spending the night with us in 2014. Thank you for your support of the Utah Avalanche Center. You help us keep everyone on top of the Greatest Snow on Earth. |
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current conditions It's currently snowing in the upper Cottonwood Canyons. The couple of periods of snow we've had over the last 24 hours are improving riding conditions and haven't dramatically increased the avalanche danger. The upper Cottonwoods and Park City Ridgeline picked up 4 to 5 inches on Wednesday and a few more inches this morning. The rain/snow line crept up to around 7500 feet or a bit higher on Thursday. Temperatures were fairly mild overnight hovering around freezing at 8000 feet and in the mid 20s along the ridges. Westerly winds have bumped up a bit in speed with a gust near 60 at 11,000 feet and some gusts in the 20s along the mid elevation ridges. |
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recent activity We received a report of one skier unintentionally triggered avalanche in steep north facing terrain along the upper Days Fork headwall on Wednesday. It was triggered as the skier was ascending the slope. He was briefly caught in the 8 inch deep slab and was able to self arrest before going for a ride. Anticipate some more pockets like this today. |
Avalanche Problem 1over the next 6 hours
| type | aspect/elevation | characteristics |
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Above 9,500 ft.
8,000-9,500 ft.
Below 8,000 ft.
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description
Basically, your job out there today is to pay attention to how sensitive the new snow is on top of the old locked up snow. Areas with freshly formed wind drifts will be the likely places to trigger something. Often people are more likely to accept bigger risk in times of a MODERATE avalanche danger but don't let your guard down. Follow safe backcountry protocol and use ski cuts prior to getting onto steep slopes. The potential size of the slides today won't pose much threat to snowmobilers but a skier might get surprised. Watch for cross loaded terrain features on all aspects. CROSS LOADING:
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