Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Skyline Area Mountains Issued by Brett Kobernik for Friday - January 6, 2017 - 5:37am
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CONSIDERABLE AVALANCHE DANGER TODAY. Human triggered avalanches are likely on steep slopes especially at the higher elevations. Avalanches could break up to 2 feet deep or more in drifted areas. We urge caution for the next couple of days.
special announcement

Big thanks to SnowBigDeal and Klim for your continued support of the avalanche center. I cannot stress how important good gear is out in the backcountry. You guys have come through!
current conditions

Well, that was a hard storm to forecast weather for! We finally caught up to the north half of the state with snow totals. The system basically was just slower to drift south and slower to move through than anticipated. Snowfall let up last night at around 10pm. We picked up about 14" of fluff in the last 24 hours with very little wind. Snow totals since Monday are over 2 feet in some places. Riding conditions are excellent! Temperatures continue to plummet and they are around -5F at a number of stations.

LINK TO VIDEO TALKING ABOUT CONCERNS FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY
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

A weak layer of snow which formed during the clear days between about December 26 and January 2nd is now buried up to two feet deep under the new snow. This layer is my biggest concern out there right now.

Here's the good:

  • It is not all that sensitive. Not every slope you touch is going to avalanche.
  • The weak snow grains did not get very advanced so I'm hoping they will become stable and not pose a threat for a long period of time.

Here's the bad:

  • It is not all that sensitive. Not every slope you touch is going to avalanche. This may give you a false sense of security after riding some big slopes with no bad results.
  • It is extremely difficult to know which slopes will avalanche and which won't.
  • It's going to be a beautiful day with outstanding riding conditions. This often makes us loose sight of dangerous avalanche conditions.

So far this season, I've been pretty comfortable getting onto the steeper terrain. My plan is to notch it back a bit until I feel confident that the buried weak snow is stable. I'm not there right now.
weather

It's going to be a great day out there today! We should see the skies start to clear and the wind should remain fairly light. Temperatures are only going to get into the mid teens today. Don't let this nice weather and great powder cloud your judgment on avalanche conditions.
general announcements

We will publish full detailed advisories Saturday and Sunday mornings by 7am. We will also be publishing basic avalanche danger ratings & info during the week.

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