Wasatch Cache National Forest
In partnership with: Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Department of Emergency Services and Homeland Security and Salt Lake County.

“keeping you on top”

AVALANCHE ADVISORY

Saturday, January 27, 2007 7:30 am
Good morning, this is Evelyn Lees with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center with your backcountry avalanche and mountain weather advisory. Today is Saturday, January 27, 2007 and it’s 7:30 in the morning.

Our partners, the Friends of the UAC, are hosting numerous events during the 4th Annual Backcountry Awareness Week. It’s not too late to join today’s star studded snowmobile ride and dinner in the Uinta Mountains. Click here for more details or call 801-963-3819. Then tonight there is a free book signing and slide show by Jill Fredston at Our Lady of the Snows at Alta at 7:00 pm. There will be a dinner February 2nd at The Canyons with Olympic Gold Medal Winner Jim Shea, avalanche classes at the Canyons on February 3^rd and 4^th, and a showing of a Teton Ski Documentary on Feb 8^th at Brewvies. Details are below, or click here for more information.

Current Conditions:

A couple of weak storms dancing around northern Utah are bringing a few clouds and slightly cooler temperatures to the mountains this morning. Temperatures are generally in the low 20’s this morning, and the northerly winds are light, in the 5 to 10 mph range. If the thought of hunting through the widespread crusts on sun affected slopes or the tracked out shady slopes for a few turns in punchy facets is getting old, it may be time for a little cross training. Hit the resorts, and ski or board the groomers till your quads burn, or rent some X-C gear, skate on a groomed track, and you may just get your best work out of the year.

Snowpack and Avalanche Conditions:

Yesterday, backcountry travelers continued to trigger dry facet sluffs on steep shady slopes and, with day time heating, a few wet loose sluffs on sunny slopes. The combination of cooling temperatures and clouds should prevent any wet activity today, but on the steep, shady slopes be prepared for a loose sluff to join you on your decent. In the right steep terrain, these sluffs are just large enough to get you into trouble – shove you off a cliff, push you down a steep slope or dump you into a gully, so don’t turn your back on them.

Bottom Line for the Salt Lake, Park City, Provo and Ogden area mountains:

Today, the avalanche danger is generally LOW, but there are isolated pockets of MODERATE danger on steep, shady slopes due to easily triggered sluffs in the loose, faceted snow.

Mountain Weather:

A weak trough moving across the area will bring clouds, cooler temperatures and a trace of snow today. Highs will be near freezing at 8,000’ and remain near 20 at 10,000’. Winds will be from the north, generally in the 5 to 15 mph range, with slightly higher speeds across the most exposed terrain. Tonight, skies will be mostly cloudy, with another few flakes of snow possible. Then high pressure will move back in and remain…for the foreseeable future.

Announcements:

Yesterday, the Wasatch Powderbird Guides were in Silver, Mineral, Mill Creek, Cardiff, and the Sessions. Today, if they fly, they will be looking hard for skiable terrain in all their permitted areas. They welcome any more specific questions regarding their areas of operation you can contact them at 742-2800.

There will be a Fundraising Dinner on Friday, February 2, 2007. The dinner will be at The Canyons and Olympic Gold Medal Winner Jim Shea will be the keynote speaker. For tickets and information visit www.UtahAvalancheCenter.com Also, the Canyons will be offering avalanche classes on Saturday and Sunday, February 3^rd and 4^th. For more information and to register, call 435-615-3325.

Finally, on February 8^th, there will be a Teton Skiing documentary at Brewvies as a fundraiser for the UAC.

Listen to the advisory. Try our new streaming audio or podcasts

UDOT highway avalanche control work information can be found HERE or by calling (801) 975-4838.

Our new, state wide tollfree hotline is 1-888-999-4019.
(For early morning detailed avalanche activity report hit option 8)

For a list of avalanche classes, click HERE

For our classic text advisory click HERE.

To sign up for automated e-mails of our graphical advisory click HERE

We appreciate any snowpack and avalanche observations you have, so please leave us a message at (801) 524-5304 or 1-800-662-4140, or email us at [email protected]. (Fax 801-524-6301)

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.

Drew Hardesty will update this advisory by 7:30 on Saturday morning, and thanks for calling.