Join the UAC for the first "Stay and Play Avalanche Course" at Bear River Lodge in the Uintas, March 19th-22nd. This course is designed for snowmobilers by snowmobilers, where you will learn avalanche rescue, riding skills, and how to survive in the backcountry. Come enjoy all the luxury offerings at Bear River Lodge and improve your skills along the way.
You can find details and sign up HERE.
Overnight, clouds moved in, temperatures warmed, and the wind blowing from the southwest increased.
This morning, the skies are mostly cloudy, with trailhead temperatures hovering near freezing and upper elevation temperatures in the mid-20s °F. Winds are blowing out of the southwest 15-30 mph with gusts reaching 60 mph.
Today, we’ll see mostly cloudy skies, daytime temperatures reaching the upper 30s or low 40s ˚F and winds blowing from the southwest remain steady at 15-25 mph with gusts in the 40s at upper elevations.
Outlook: A significant winter storm arrives late Monday, bringing the first in a series of powerful systems. By Thursday, storm totals could reach 30+ inches of snow with 2.0-3.0” SWE. Expect very strong winds from the southwest. Heavy snowfall and strong winds, combined with a preexisting weak layer from the January dry spell, will create very dangerous backcountry avalanche conditions.
Yesterday, skiers triggered small wet and dry-loose avalanches in steep terrain. Observations from the backcountry are limited, but our recent fieldwork shows that conditions throughout the Southern Wasatch track closely with those in the Central Wasatch. Recent activity in the Central Wasatch shows a pattern of soft slab avalanches breaking 1 to 2 feet deep and up to 200 feet wide on a layer of weak faceted snow from the January dry spell.
Ski area teams hunting for avalanches in the Upper Cottonwoods triggered one very large, slab avalanche that broke on faceted snow. The avalanche occurred on a north-facing slope at 10,200 feet, under a cliff band.
You can view all recent observations here.
