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Tickets are available here.Several inches of light new snow accumulated Tuesday night on upper elevation slopes, which created nice shallow powder conditions. Overall snow coverage is still very shallow in the Logan Zone, and the snow that was on the ground in November and early December is loose and sugary. In many places you still sink all the way to the ground when you hop off your sled. Observers continue to report triggering booming audible collapses in many areas. These whumpfing sounds are a red flag indicating unstable snow. Trail breaking is difficult on skis because in many places you sink deeply into the sugary snow, and it's scary on a sled because you expect to hit rocks and down trees at any moment. Not many people are out riding, especially off trail, and there are already a few tales of broken A-arms from those who have tried.
Still too shallow to ride comfortably. Nice shallow powder riding conditions, but the snow pack is shallow and full of land mines. (12-23-2020)
Expect snow in the mountains today, with a couple inches of accumulation, and drifting from moderately strong west-southwest winds. High temperatures in the upper twenties are expected at higher elevations, and wind chill values will be as low a -3°F. Snow showers will continue tonight and several more inches should accumulate on mountain slopes. We should see some sun in the mountains tomorrow, but a storm, passing mostly to our south will bring a chance for a few inches of snow in the beginning of the week. There is potential for a significant winter storm in the Logan Zone later in the week.
Despite apparent gradual stabilization of the snow pack, dangerous avalanche conditions persist on steep previously drifted slopes at upper elevations, and human triggered avalanches remain possible on many steep slopes in the Logan Zone. More than expected snow and drifting today will probably cause a rising avalanche danger in the backcountry.
Many natural and remote triggered avalanches were observed last Friday and over the weekend in the Logan Zone. The mostly 1'-deep soft slab avalanches, failing on a persistent weak layer consisting of sugary faceted snow, were fairly forgiving and nobody got caught.
From a distance Wednesday, an observer noticed a recent large natural avalanche in the Mount Naomi Wilderness, in Upper Cottonwood Canyon. The broad slab avalanche below a cliff band was probably a few days old.
