THE AVALANCHE WARNING CONTINUES FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF NORTHERN AND CENTRAL UTAH, INCLUDING THE BEAR RIVER RANGE, THE WESTERN UINTAS, AND THE WASATCH PLATEAU. NEW SNOW ACCUMULATIONS HAVE OVERLOADED PRE-EXISTING WEAK SNOW CAUSING BOTH NATURAL AND HUMAN TRIGGERED AVALANCHES. THE AVALANCHE DANGER IS RATED HIGH. PEOPLE WITH OUT EXPERT LEVEL SNOWPACK ASSESSMENT AND BACKCOUNTRY TRAVEL SKILLS ARE URGED TO STAY OUT OF THE MOUNTAINS.

The danger remains HIGH and most severe on the mid and upper elevation north through easterly facing aspects. Human triggered dangerous and tricky avalanches remain likely on slopes steeper than 30 degrees. Areas that had little to no pre-existing snow, such as the mid and low elevation southerly aspect should settle out relatively soon. Those without expert level avalanche and routefinding skills can find excellent riding and turning conditions within the ski area boundaries.

It’s about time. Let’s get right to the storm totals. The Ogden area mountains: 27-30” with the Ben Lomond station boasting 6.5” of snow-water-equivalent. The Park City areas picked up roughly 24”…the Provo mountains roughly 42” with 5.4” of snow-water-equivalent….and the Cottonwoods 40-50” of snow. Winds are now westerly at 15-20mph with perhaps twice that along the Ogden crest. Temps are in the teens and low twenties.

Trail-breaking was a chore of comic proportions. The downhill? Best described by one of our observers as “straightline tunneling”.

It is difficult to exaggerate yesterday’s avalanche cycle. Natural avalanches in the new snow pulled out on a variety of aspects and elevations, human- initiated remotely triggered slides pulled snow out to near the ground. Many ski area control workers, armed with explosives, would approach the starting zone only to collapse and release the slope. Thunderous and moaning collapses of the underlying substrata shook the landscape and trees shivered from the thunderclap.

The natural cycle began yesterday morning with snow falling 2-4”/hr along with sustained west to southwesterly 30 knot winds. One close call involved the partial burial of three exiting skiers in Butler Fork (of BCC) choke near the trailhead. Their photo and write-up can be found on our Current Conditions page. We heard dim reports of others going for short rides with little consequence, and it’s likely that many slopes repeated, over and over.

We’ll start to have some visibility as the storm moves off to the east. Temps today will be in the mid to upper teens at 10,000’. The winds will be 15-20 from the west and southwest. A weak ridge starts to build with increasingly mild temps. Winds will be west to southwest blowing 15-20mph.

We are recording our early morning phone line, (1-888-999-4019, option 8), with avalanche information, by 5:30 am – it’s a good source for dawn patrollers. Also, many of the day’s observations are posted on line under Current Conditions by 10 pm each evening.

Pro Riders Workshop at Snowbird The Utah Avalanche Center and Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort are partnering to offer the first annual Freeride Avalanche Summit, Dec.17-18. The two-day clinic targets advanced and expert skiers and riders who want practical and professional instruction on avalanche awareness, safety and rescue. The Freeride Avalanche Summit includes a unique blend of instruction that combines the expertise of industry leading avalanche forecasters with the experience and influence of local, professional athletes. Click here for more info and to register- http://www.snowbird.com/freerideavalanchesummit.html

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UDOT highway avalanche control work info can be found by calling (801) 975-4838. Our statewide toll free line is 1-888-999-4019 (early morning, option 8).

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We appreciate avalanche and snow observations. If there’s something we should know about give us a call at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at uac@utahavalanchecenter.org. (Fax 801-524-6301).

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.

I will update this forecast on Tuesday morning. And thanks for calling.