Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Skyline Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Sunday - December 14, 2014 - 5:57am
bottom line

Pockets of MODERATE avalanche danger exist on steep wind drifted slopes at upper elevations and human triggered avalanches are possible.

Out of the wind zone the avalanche danger is generally LOW this weekend.
special announcement

A big shout out to Jared and the crew from Big Pine and Arctic Cat for partnering with The Avy Center and providing a loaner sled for the 2014-15 season. This partnership allows us to see more terrain, issue more accurate forecasts, and ultimately save more lives.

Also... we just released an exciting, new avy safety video designed specifically for snowmobilers -

Knowledge is Powder. https://vimeo.com/113677686


current conditions

A good shot of snow slid through the region late yesterday into the morning hours. The storm seemed to concentrate its efforts on the north half of the range where nearly 6" of snow stacked up. Winds are light and variable, blowing 5-15 mph along the summit and temperatures are in the low to mid 20's. There's really not that much snow on the Skyline and riding and turning options are limited to rock-free grassy meadows and roads.
recent activity

No avalanche activity to report.
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

You'd really have to go out of your way to trigger an avalanche today, but the Skyline is a big place and I bet a fresh wind drift or two lurks in steep, upper elevation terrain facing the north half of the compass.

Remember- there's not much snow and triggering a slide will immediately ruin your day, taking you for a nasty ride through rocks and stumps barely hidden underneath the shallow snowpack, resulting in a season ending injury.
weather

Mostly cloudy skies begin to thin out as the day progresses and short-lived high pressure takes hold. Temperatures climb into the upper 20's before dipping into the teens. Clear skies for early in the week before a series of weak storms slides through mid week. Nothing too big, but enough snow to keep things freshened up. A larger storm could be on tap for next weekend.
general announcements

We're still interested in snow and avalanche information. 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 call me directly at 801-231-2170, email craig@utahavalanchecenter.org, or email by clicking HERE

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

I will update this advisory by 7:00 AM Saturday Dec. 20, 2014 or sooner if conditions warrant