BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)

Danger Rose Tutorial

The avalanche danger is Level 2 (MODERATE) on slopes over 35 degrees in steepness with recent deposits of wind drifted snow and may be found on a wide variety of aspects. Continue to look for fresh drifts and perform slope cuts prior to diving in as well as on any short test slopes you come across.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

Northerly winds have continued over the last couple of days with moderate speeds and a few stronger gusts. You’ll find fairly extensive wind damage on lots of terrain but still some nice settled snow in the most protected areas. Temperatures are in the low to mid 20s and there was very light snowfall reported from Little Cottonwood early this morning.

RECENT ACTIVITY

Two skiers were caught and carried in two separate avalanches on Thursday. One was on east facing Claytons Peak and one on north facing upper Days Fork. They ranged from 1 ½ to 2 ½ feet deep and 40 to 60 feet wide. One person had minor cuts and scratches. (CLAYTONS - DAYS FORK)

THREAT #1

WHERE

PROBABILITY

SIZE

TREND

Over the next 24 hours.

Fresh wind slabs will be the main concern again today. With numerous days of wind from varying directions you’ll find recent drifts on many different aspects. The low density snow from Monday or perhaps some near surface facets that formed prior to Monday is the suspected weak layer. If you come across drifts, do a few shear tests and see if you can sleuth it out. Also, there’s an outlying chance that the winds may have loaded a few slopes enough for an avalanche to break through the rain crust into facets or surface hoar. Continue to monitor layering around the crust especially for future snow events.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

We’ll see mostly cloudy skies with ridgetop temperatures in the mid to upper 20s. Winds will be from the north and may continue to be a bit annoying along the ridges with moderate speeds and some stronger gusts. Starting tonight we’ll see on and off snow showers through the weekend with northwest winds that may be a little pesky. Check our mountain weather forecast (CLICK HERE) after 12pm today for more details on the expected storms.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you trigger an avalanche in the backcountry - especially if you are adjacent to a ski area – please call the following teams to alert them to the slide and whether anyone is missing or not. Rescue teams can be exposed to significant hazard when responding to avalanches, and do not want to do so when unneeded. Thanks.

Salt Lake – Alta Central (801-742-2033)

Ogden – Snowbasin Patrol Dispatch (801-620-1017)

Provo – Sundance Patrol Dispatch (801-223-4150)

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com, Alta, Deer Valley, Park City, The Canyons, Wolf Mountain, Snowbasin, Beaver Mountain, Brighton, Sundance, and Solitude have donated a limited number of tickets for sale.

Wasatch Powderbird Guides flight plan.

Dawn Patrol Forecast Hotline, updated by 05:30: 888-999-4019 option 8.

Daily observations are frequently posted by 10 pm each evening.

Subscribe to the daily avalanche advisory e-mail click HERE.

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

You have the opportunity to participate in the creation of our own community avalanche advisory by submitting avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or email by clicking HERE

Donate to your favorite non-profit – The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center. The UAC depends on contributions from users like you to support our work.

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.

We will update this forecast tomorrow morning. Thanks for calling.

This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done. This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.

This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.