Salt Lake Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Bruce Tremper

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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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 LOW this morning but will likely rise to MODERATE today as the snow, hopefully, piles up, especially on steep slopes with recent wind deposits. Be sure to test the new snow to see how well it’s bonded and avoid steep slopes with recent wind deposits.

CURRENT CONDITIONS

We have much-needed snow arriving today on a west to northwest flow. Yesterday’s old, worn out snow was hard enough to rattle your fillings out on the sunny aspects and variable and tricky on the north aspects. It’s beginning to snow this morning and we expect snow all day with perhaps a foot accumulating in the Cottonwood Canyons. Ridgetop temperatures are in the mid teens.

RECENT ACTIVITY

There was no activity reported from yesterday, but then again, most people were smart enough to not be out in such challenging conditions. Unfortunately, I was not among them.

THREAT #1
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 12 hours.

Yesterday’s, southwest wind was blowing hard enough to trip over a tractor, as they say in my native state of Montana. In fact, on several occasions, it knocked me flat and nearly flung me over the edge of the cornice, although I was standing 30 feet back. The thought crossed my mind how embarrassing it would be if they found my carcass in wind slab debris and wondered how that guy could be such an idiot to be jumping into a recently wind loaded slope. The winds created some wind slabs on the north and east facing slopes. I’m more worried about today’s wind, however, because it’s blowing from the northwest along with snow falling out of the sky, so it should make sensitive wind deposits on many slopes, especially in upper elevation terrain. As always, avoid steep slopes with recent wind deposits, which will look smooth and rounded and feel slabby or sometimes sound hollow.

THREAT #2
WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 12 hours.

Down out of the wind loaded zones, you will still need to carefully check to see how well the new snow is bonding to the old snow surface and how well the new snow is bonding to itself. Luckily, it’s easy to do by jumping on small test slopes and regularly digging down with your hand. IF the storm is stronger than expected especially if it starts snowing more than an inch per hour, or IF if the winds really kick in blowing 30 mph or more, you can bump the danger ratings up a notch. I’m not expecting sun today, but just in case, as always, strong springtime sun will instantly turn cold, dry snow to wet sluffs.

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

We should have snow all day with the heaviest snow this afternoon as colder, unstable air arrives from the northwest. Storm totals look to be around a foot of snow by Saturday morning. Saturday should be a don’t-miss, powder day as the clouds will clear out during the morning. Ridge top temperatures should be in the mid teens today and down in the single digits by Saturday morning.

The extended forecast calls for clear weather and warming Sunday through the week and another storm of some kind around April Fools Day.

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

The ability to deal with medical emergencies is a vital backcountry travel skill. On April 9-11, Utah Wilderness Safety will be conducting a Wilderness & Remote First Aid course in SLC. As an added bonus, WMS has agreed to donate a percent of the class proceeds to the FUAC. For more details, go to our events calendar or www.utahwildernesssafety.com/FIRST-AID.html.

SLC: Please contact Alta Central (801-742-2033) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, 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.

Ogden: Please contact Snowbasin ski patrol (801620-1000/1017) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, 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.

Provo: Please contact Sundance ski patrol (801 -223-4150) if you trigger a large avalanche in the backcountry, especially if you are adjacent to a ski area, 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.

Discount Lift tickets: Ski Utah, Backcountry.com and the local resorts donated lift tickets, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Utah Avalanche Center. To get the last few tickets left for Park City, Beaver Mountain, and Sundance – click here at discounted prices.

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.

Free UAC iPhone app from Canyon Sports.

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

UDOT canyon closures UDOT at (801) 975-4838

We appreciate all your avalanche and snow observations. You can also call us at 801-524-5304 or 800-662-4140, or fill out the observation form on our home page.

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.

Evelyn 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.