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Forecast for the Uintas Area Mountains

Craig Gordon
Issued by Craig Gordon on
Friday morning, January 31, 2020
In the wind zone at and above treeline, steep, wind drifted slopes offer MODERATE avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are POSSIBLE. Lose a little elevation and you lose most of the problem.
Here's the outlier- while becoming harder to initiate, human triggered avalanches breaking into deeper, buried weak layers remains a distinct possibility. Usual suspects include- steep, rocky, upper elevation terrain, especially slopes exhibiting a thin, shallow snowpack. Remember- any slide that breaks to old snow will immediately ruin your day.
Wind sheltered, low and mid elevation slopes with no steep terrain above or adjacent to where you're riding offers LOW avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are UNLIKELY.
Low
Moderate
Considerable
High
Extreme
Learn how to read the forecast here
Special Announcements
While you're waiting for your crew to show up at the Noblett's trailhead, you can take a few minutes and swing by the Beacon Basin located on the northeast side of the parking lot and challenge your rescue skills. And then... when you're headed onto the snow, make sure your transceiver is sending a signal by sliding by the Are You Beeping beacon checker on the south end of the parking lot. Remember... these are the type of sled specific programs your donation dollars help to fund and sustain.
January 24 - February 6
Are you looking to improve your avalanche skills? We are offering a Motorized Backcountry 101: Introduction to Avalanches class on February 6 & 8 out of The Edge Powersports and Thousand Peaks Ranch in the Western Uintas. Click HERE for more details.
Weather and Snow
Currently-
Skies cleared late yesterday, providing a stunning sunset and delivering overnight low temperatures dipping into the single digits. West-northwest winds blow reasonably in the mid and upper 20's along the high ridges.
With total settled snow depths averaging six feet, the range is white and the coverage remarkable. Riding and turning conditions remain all-time with mid elevation, wind sheltered terrain delivering cold, creamy snow and excellent riding.
Uinta weather network info is found here. Simply click on the Western Uinta tab.
For today and tomorrow-
It's gonna be a brilliant day in the mountains with sunny skies, temperatures rising into the mid 30's, and northwest winds blowing in the 20's and 30's along the high peaks. Similar weather is on tap for Saturday.
Futurecast-
Recent Avalanches
No significant avalanche activity to report.
To view additional trip reports and recent avalanche activity, simply click here.
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Avalanche Problem #1
Persistent Weak Layer
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Above, an image of snow structure on a north facing slope in upper Whitney Basin that avalanched earlier this season. These are the type of slopes that may light up with next weeks storm.
In most terrain the snowpack is deep, it's gaining strength, and it's happy in its own skin. However, steep, rocky, upper elevation terrain and slopes that avalanched near the ground earlier in the season remain suspect. So, while so much of our terrain is good to go, if you're travels take you to steep, technical slopes today, especially those with a thin, shallow snowpack, think about your exit strategy and the consider the consequences of triggering a slide that has the potential to break deeper and wider than you might expect. Or... with all the good riding out there and miles of terrain to choose from, simply avoid slopes with these characteristics.
Avalanche Problem #2
Wind Drifted Snow
Type
Location
Likelihood
Size
Description
Dave Kikkert was in the wind zone yesterday and says... "Winds bumped up for a couple hours mid-morning bordering on strong - otherwise they were in the moderate category. Winds brought in very dense fog and rime. Snow surface didn't seem to rime - but any man made objects - including me - rimed quickly."
I bet this mornings storm snow coupled with yesterday's midmorning bump in wind speeds produces shallow drifts sensitive to our additional weight. Found mostly on the leeward side of upper elevation ridges, I wouldn't be too surprised to find a fresh drift or two cross-loaded in and around terrain features like chutes or gullies. More the exception than the rule, a rogue wind slab could break deeper and wider than you might expect, creating a slide that quickly gets out of hand. Your best bet for avoidance is to simply steer clear of any fat, rounded piece of snow, especially if it sounds hollow like a drum.
Additional Information
Thanks to the generous support of our Utah ski resorts and Ski Utah, we have discount lift tickets available. All proceeds support the UAC. Get your tickets HERE.
Get one of these cool t-shirts to support the UAC and other avalanche centers across the U.S. INFO
General Announcements
The information in this forecast expires in 24 hours, but will be updated by 7:00 AM Saturday Feb. 1st.
This forecast is updated daily by 7:00 AM.
In the mean-time, if you see or trigger an avalanche or just wanna let me know what you're seeing you can reach me directly at 801-231-2170
This is a great time of year to schedule one of our free avy awareness presentations.
You can email me directly [email protected]
The information in this forecast is from the US Forest Service which is solely responsible for its content.
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