While we’ll get a bit of a break from the snow later Friday into Saturday, it may not be enough time for the snowpack to settle before another storm lines up for Sunday.
Avalanche conditions are being described as widespread, long running and fast. According to Utah Avalanche Center forecaster Drew Hardesty, loose snow, wind drifted snow and soft slab avalanches are creating the dangerous conditions.
"The storm was a blockbuster and hats off to the weather service for this excellent forecast for us," Hardesty said. "Most of the mountains picked up 24 to 30 inches from this storm. Skiing or riding conditions are really out of this world. Just the snowpack hasn't really had a chance to catch its breath.”
Something that caught his eye was a low-elevation avalanche in Parleys Canyon on an east-facing slope at an elevation of about 7,500 feet.
“This is really unusual for us. We have so much snow at the low elevations that avalanche conditions are still prevalent and dangerous in some areas below 8,000 feet," Hardesty said. "I just want that to be on people's radar that if they may not necessarily think that they’re going to be recreating in the low elevations, but even traveling through these low elevations, you know, slope angle, slope angle, slope angle, and people need to assess steep terrain if they're even below 8,000 feet in elevation. So, a word to the wise, as we just heard with the long-range models, you know, we have storms lined up until the end of time.”
He said careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision making are essential in the backcountry.
Get updated avalanche conditions and safety information here.
