Wasatch
Cache and Uinta National Forests 
In partnership with:
Tri-City
Performance, Polaris, the
avalanche advisory
sunday april 8, 2007
The information in this advisory expires 24 hours after
the date and time it’s issued and will be the last of our regularly scheduled
advisories for the season. I’ll post some general avalanche information this
week with resources you can use to help make your own snow stability decisions.
Good Morning and Happy Easter!
This is Craig Gordon with the
This
advisory covers the terrain from Daniels Summit, to
Current Conditions:
A little storm rolled through last night depositing
an inch or two of damp new snow in the high terrain throughout the range. West
and northwest winds have remained in the 10-20 mph range, with a few gusts in
the low 40’s along the highest ridges. Temperatures are mild, in the low 30’s
at 10,000’ and mid to upper 30’s down low near the trailheads. As far as the riding
and turning conditions go, it’s the same old song- there’s some soft settled
powder to be found on sheltered shady slopes, but getting to it is a molar
jarring experience.
Avalanche Conditions:
It’s the end
of the line for this season’s avalanche advisory, of course it’s not by
choice, it’s because the warm mid-March temperatures and lack of snow have put
the snowpack about a month ahead of schedule. Looking at snow and water numbers
for the region, this season will go down in history as one of the warmest and
driest in the past 70 years. Most snow study sites are only about 60% of
normal. While it looks the weather pattern may become more active later this
week, it’ll be hard to recoup those losses.
Last night’s new snow isn’t
going to drastically change the avalanche conditions, but the new snow may be
easier to push around as it gets warm. Remember- even if the skies don’t
completely clear off, the new snow will get “green-housed” through the clouds. East
facing slopes will be the first to feel the effects of the strong spring time
sun, followed by southeast, south, southwest and finally west. The key to
traveling safely in the spring is staying ahead of the game and getting off of
and out from underneath steep sunny slopes, especially as they become damp and gloppy. While wet avalanches are usually slow moving, they
can pile up huge amounts of debris in terrain
traps such as gullies or steep road cuts. Yesterday, Ted was over near
Bottom Line:
On most slopes throughout
the range the avalanche danger is generally LOW this morning, rising to MODERATE on
steep sun-exposed slopes during the heat of the day. A MODERATE avalanche danger means human triggered avalanche are
possible.
Mountain Weather:
A weak disturbance sliding through the state should
produce scattered snow showers, light winds and mild temperatures. We might
pick up another inch of snow before drying out later this afternoon. Winds will
be out of the west-northwest, blowing 10-20 mph with gusts in the low 30’s
along the highest ridges. Highs at 8,000’ will be in the low 40’s and at 10,000’
near 38 degrees. Overnight lows should be near freezing. A series of weak storms
brush by the region Monday and Tuesday and new snow totals are on the slim side.
Wednesday we get a break, and then a strong cold front moves through Wednesday
night which could produce a decent shot of snow.
Announcements:
I completed a
preliminary investigation on the avalanche accident that occurred on Saturday
Feb.17th in
We removed the
I’d like to thank Jim Shea, The Canyons and Colleen
Graham from the Friends of the UAC for all their hard work in making the Know
Before You Go fundraiser such a success!
The first annual western Uinta fundraising ride was
an amazing success with nearly 150 people showing up for the ride alone!
I want to thank the Jim Shea Family Foundation,
Rocky Mountain Sledders, the Wasatch Snowmobile Association and the Utah
Snowmobile Association for all their tireless work in putting the event
together. Thanks again to Team Thunderstruck and the Boondockers
crew for helping out and schooling even the most experienced riders. Also, we
couldn’t have pulled it off if it weren’t for Chad Booth who did an incredible
job as both master of ceremonies and auctioneer. Finally, it wouldn’t have been
possible without the support of everyone who attended… you folks are
awesome!
I want to thank the crew at Tri-City Performance in
Springville along with Polaris and the Utah Snowmobile Association for
partnering with the avalanche center and stepping up to the plate by providing
a new sled for this season! Click
here, to
see the new
ride!
We installed Beacon Basin at the Noblett’s
Trailhead and it’s good to go. I want to thank Doug, Bill, Jared, Brad and
Wally who
unselfishly took time out of their powder day to
help out the riding community… you guys rock!
Free avalanche awareness classes are available. Give
me a call at 801-231-2170 or email cgordonski@hotmail.com
and get one scheduled before the season gets too crazy!
If any terms confuse you, take a look at our new avalanche encyclopedia.
For
avalanche photos click here.
General Information:
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.
Have a safe spring and summer. I’ll update
this advisory next fall when the snow starts flying again.
This advisory is also available by calling
1-800-648-7433 or
1-888-999-4019.
.