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Good morning, this Max Forgensi
with the If you have been out in the backcountry, please post your OBSERVATIONS with us! To check out past advisories, go to ARCHIVE. To check out the current weather, go to our WEATHER page. For more information on snowmobiling on the Skyline, click this LINK |
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General Conditions: Yesterday was the best riding conditions
to date! You didn’t have to go
very far to get a face full of powder.
Areas close to State Highway 31 saw moderate use yesterday. Snowmobilers were keeping mainly to
lower angled terrain and out of trouble. Warm temperatures from this past week created an inch
thick sun crust on South and West aspects before the storm, which lowered the
amount of snow available for transport.
By Friday night, cornices generally grew by about a foot and drifts of
4’ of snow could be found on the leeward sides of slopes and ridges. There are some dangerous conditions
still out there today and the following TRAVEL PROTOCOLS should be
followed for most users.
Read on to the avalanche conditions for a detailed explanation of what
will be more dangerous today. Some ways to reduce your risk in being caught in an avalanche is
to follow these Travel Protocols: 1.
Those who do not know the terrain intimately should avoid
avalanche terrain and keep to meadows and low angled terrain. 2.
Steer clear from the run-out zones of avalanche paths. High benches in alpine bowls could be
over-run by large avalanches. 3.
Do not approach cornices. Cornices are very tender during or just after a
recent storm. They take up over
24 hours to gain strength. 4.
Always travel one at a time in avalanche terrain. 5.
Always carry your beacons, probes and shovels at a minimum. Mountain Weather: Today: A 30 percent chance of snow. Cloudy, with a high near 23. Breezy, with
a west wind 10 to 13 mph increasing to between 21 and 24 mph. |
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Weather Station/ Location |
Snow Depth (HS):
in./cm |
New Snow (HN) in./cm |
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Current Observations:
Wind, 48 hour snow |
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Mammoth/Cottonwood SNOTEL (8,800’): |
39” |
0” |
26 |
Powder conditions |
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20” |
0” |
23 |
Winds from SW @ 10 gust to 19 |
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~ |
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6.8 |
Poor location for wind out of this
direction |
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Miller
Flat Trailhead: |
42” |
0” |
~ |
~ |
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Avalanche Conditions:
(Click here
for the International Avalanche Danger Scale) 5 new avalanches were observed from the highway
yesterday, all on North through East aspects. The biggest avalanche was seen on the Scofield road which
was a hard slab 4 feet deep and 1000’ wide on a north aspect at 9,800’. Areas close to State Highway 31 will have
less avalanche danger due to the fact numerous avalanches occurred in these
areas, either natural or human triggered within the past week. The areas of deepest concern are
places no one was able to get into last weekend…pretty much any canyon South
of Lake. I have received 4
reports of a human triggered avalanche on the Manti-Skyline in the past week
in which people were partially caught and some buried.
With the winds picking up from the Southwest this morning, snow will
be transporting onto these North-East aspects. The problem with the bigger alpine bowls is that if your
in some of them, your in a run-out zone. One snowmobiler reported triggering an avalanche at the
very bottom of the slope. The BOTTOM LINE for the day will be an AVALANCHE DANGER of CONSIDERABLE on any steep slope greater than 35 degrees. Be especially careful on steep North-East aspects greater than 35 degrees. This is where the avalanche dragons will be hiding today. |