At the 12th annual USAW (Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop) I gave a presentation on the epic avalanche conditions we experienced in the La Sal Mountains last winter. It all started with early-season October snow, followed by an extended period of high pressure, just like many mountainous areas in the Intermountain West are experiencing right now. We are currently high and dry in the La Sals, but for those of you who live in areas with snow, pay close attention to where it is and how weak it becomes. And then, even more importantly, pay attention to how it reacts when new snow is finally …

Blog: The Powder Cloud - UAC Newsletter - June 2019 Attach File: 2019-05-Powder-Cloud.pdf Published on Utah Avalanche Center (https://utahavalanchecenter.org)

Plenty of nice snow snow fell and it was a busy winter season in the Logan Zone. Luckily there were no avalanche tragedies and no injuries were reported. Even so, there were numerous dangerous human-triggered and natural avalanches, several close calls were reported, and a handful of people were caught and carried, with at least three partially buried. People apparently made good choices for the most part, wisely avoiding travel on slopes where dangerous avalanche conditions were mentioned in our forecast, and there were many days with fantastic, deep powder and generally stable …

Our Week in Review highlights significant snowfall, weather, and avalanche events of the previous week. (Click here to review the archived forecasts for the Salt Lake mountains.) The danger roses for the Salt Lake mountains from Friday April 12 through Thursday April 18: Summary: Typical springtime pattern with wet snow activity during periods of warming, with a decent storm early in the week that delivers 1-2' of snow to the Cottonwoods, with over 2" of water. Strong sunshine and warm temperatures lead to wet activity concluding the end of the week. Snow/Water Totals - …

Our Week in Review highlights significant snowfall, weather, and avalanche events of the previous week. (Click here to review the archived forecasts for the Salt Lake mountains.) The danger roses for the Salt Lake mountains from Friday April 5 through Thursday April 11: Summary: Warm temperatures early in the period, with a strong Pacific storm system arriving on Wednesday. Friday April 5 - Warm temperatures led to the usual wet, loose activity. The largest slide was from Hellgate cliffs that left a small amount of debris on the Little Cottonwood road. Saturday April 6 - …

Last Sunday, my partner and I headed toward the Pine Hollow area in upper American Fork Canyon to access the north side of Timpanogos. It may be one of my favorite places in the entire Wasatch Range. We got a late start and worked through the Timponeeke campground, west into the Corner Pocket and then followed an efficiently-set skin track up through one of the weaknesses to gain the Woolley Hole. To our surprise (we were headed toward the Pika Cirque), and then - I can't think of a better word - appreciation - the skinner continued up the east facing ski runs of the Woolley Hole and …

January 5th 2019. Low Danger in the Wasatch. By the end of the day, the UAC heard about 8 skier triggered avalanches, four catch and carries...a partial and critical burial, and a trip to the emergency room. What happened? The podcast below tells the story in six parts: Drew Hardesty- forecaster - Low Danger Chapter 1 - We're All in This Together Derek DeBruin - ski guide, accident report - Low Danger Chapter 2 - Blue Ice Avalanche Accident Report Greg Gagne, forecaster - January Faceting Event Vlad Pascu - partially buried in Broads Fork, hero - Low Danger - …