In this podcast, we interview international mountain guide Anna Keeling. Anna has been a fully certified IFMGAguide since 2002 and is accomplished in all of the disciplines: rock, ice, alpine, and ski mountaineering. At this point in her career she is highly sought out to train and educate aspiring guides. Anna has guided around the world, but calls New Zealand (where she was born and spends half the year) and Salt Lake City home. A talented writer in her own right, Anna blogs about her adventures and other musings on her bloghere. You can find her guiding operation in New …

Guide and pro observer John Mletschnig's observation from Cardiff Fork came in last night and it piqued my interest. It wasn't so much an observation of the snow and avalanche conditions, but an observation of what people are doing with the snow and avalanche conditions. This is well inside the ballpark of the "What-So What" operational model. We gather information andthen usethis information to make our own decisions. And each decision has its own consequence. Sometimes the consequence is powder, sometimes it's something else.His comments are below. …

Week in Review for Friday Jan 19 through Thursday Jan 25 Progression of danger roses and overall hazard rating for the Salt Lake Mountains from 1/19- 1/25. (Click on the day of the week for the archived forecast for that day.) Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Moderate Moderate Considerable Moderate Moderate Moderate Considerable Summary- A storm system early in the weekend delivered cool temperatures, light winds, and 1-2' of legendary Wasatch fluff. Weekend storm totals included …

Hardesty A piece of fiction: I was touring up in Mineral Fork of Big Cottonwood yesterday. Never liked it in there - spooky, full of ghosts. Always feel claustrophobic. Know the parable of the scorpion and the frog? The persistent slab and I talked for a bit on the uptrack. I found ECTX and XPST-60/90. "It's ok, come on into my terrain," she said. "But I don't trust you, I don't like it." Indeed the powder looked good in Moonlight. "No, really, " she beckoned - "it's ok, come on in." I hesitated. …

In thisepisode, we talk with Bill Nalli, Utah Department of Transportation Avalanche Program supervisor.Bill explains the scope of his job and how his teams across the state keep the Greatest Snow on Earth from avalanching over the open roads. Topics discussed: managing avalanche potential in Little Cottonwood Canyon; avalanche mitigation tools (105mm Howitzers) from WWII to the Wasatch backcountry; Avalanche Hazard Index; avalanche problems across Utah; precarious existence and importance of artillery as an avalanche tool; Craig Patterson; the challenge of …

Week in Review for Friday Jan 12 through Thursday Jan 18 Progression of danger roses and overall hazard rating for Salt Lake Mountains from 1/12- 1/18. (Click on the day of the week for the archived forecast for that day.) Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday HIGH Considerable Considerable Considerable Moderate Moderate Moderate Summary - Storm and wind-drifted snow late last week overloaded a weak pre-existingsnowpack. Large, dangerous avalanches - natural and human-triggered - …

Week in Review for Friday Jan 5 through Thursday Jan 11 Progression of danger roses and overall hazard rating from 1/5- 1/11. (Click on the day of the week for the archived forecast for that day.) Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Low Low Considerable Moderate Considerable HIGH HIGH Summary - Storms overloaded a weak, unstable snowpack leading to elevated hazard and dangerous avalanche conditions by midweek. Storm and water totals for the week varied widely, this included …