Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Skyline Area Mountains Issued by Craig Gordon for Friday - December 26, 2014 - 5:54am
bottom line

At upper elevations at and above treeline, the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE. Human triggered avalanches are probable on steep, wind drifted slopes facing the north half of the compass. Any slide triggered today has the potential to break deep and wide, resulting in a dangerous avalanche.

A MODERATE avalanche danger exists on recently wind loaded slopes at mid elevations and human triggered avalanches are possible

A LOW avalanche danger exists on low and mid elevation slopes facing the south half of the compass and terrain that had no pre-existing snow prior to last weeks big storm.
special announcement

We just released an exciting, new avy safety video designed specifically for snowmobilers - Knowledge is Powder. https://vimeo.com/113677686

NEW THIS YEAR: You can now receive advisories by email for each region in the state. Go here for details.
current conditions

The Skyline is in the flow! An additional 12"-14" of uber-light density snow fell in the past 24 hours and it'll be an epic day on the Skyline. Temperatures are in the single digits and northerly winds are blowing 15-25 mph along the high peaks. The coverage has gone from zero to hero and it's an over-the-head and over-the-hood kinda day. Excellent riding and turning conditions are found, especially on mid elevation, wind sheltered slopes.

Darce and Steve stomped around Electric Lake Wednesday. Here's their take on the current setup.
recent activity

No recent avalanche activity to report, but the region got clobbered last weekend with dense heavy snow and hurricane force winds. Winds and fresh snow filled in a lot of the crowns and they're not quite as dramatic as just a few days ago, but from the Summit of the Skyline to Miller's Flat, avalanches can be seen everywhere.
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

Winds didn't get too out of hand yesterday, but they did move just enough snow around to create a few fresh drifts, especially near the summit. Fat and rounded in their appearance, today you'll want to look for and avoid any wind drifted, upper elevation, leeward slope. While mostly manageable in size and depth, today's wind slabs will be sensitive to the additional weight of a rider.

Remember- shooting cracks in front of your skis, board, or sled are huge clues to unstable snow. And don't forget the biggest clue... recent avalanches! Especially if they're occurring on the same kind of slope you wanna ride on.
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

More deceptive, not so easy to detect, and even less manageable are avalanches that break to weak layers of snow near the ground. It's what we call deep slabs. Here's a great video illustrating why they're so dangerous. Any avalanche triggered today has the potential to break into weak layers near the ground, producing a large and dangerous slide. Avoid steep wind drifted terrain and you avoid the problem.
weather

The storm is winding down and skies should begin to clear as the day progresses. North and northeast winds will be a nuisance along the high peaks, gusting into the 20's and 30's, but relaxing throughout the day. High temperatures barely reach the mid teens and dive to negative territory overnight. Clear and warmer for Saturday. Next storm system impacts the area by Sunday morning with bulk of storm continuing into Monday.
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. 27, 2014.