The UAC said 13 human-triggered avalanches occurred Saturday, plus five more on Sunday.
There were no fatalities, but at least eight people got caught in the avalanches to some degree. That prompted the UAC to issue a moderate avalanche danger.
(4/23/2023) 13 human triggered avalanches with 8 people caught and carried in wind slabs yesterday. Today we will continue with a MODERATE danger for both wind drifted snow and wet snow. Get the full forecast at https://t.co/zLAG65mQIR
— UtahAvalancheCenter (@UACwasatch) April 23, 2023
One of the avalanches on Sunday started on the Park City ridgeline in the popular backcountry spot, No Name Bowl. That avalanche was four inches deep and 30 feet wide, self-reported by the skier who triggered it.
Another happened on the same ridgeline Sunday, but it was in closed Park City Mountain Resort terrain. An onlooker reported it was bigger than the No Name avalanche at 10 inches deep and 45 feet wide.
In a statement, a Park City spokesperson said ski patrol responded to the area but no guests or employees were harmed. They reiterated guests are not permitted to access closed terrain.
UAC has stopped issuing danger ratings for this year. It always cuts the service off around April 15, but the organization extended danger ratings for a couple of weeks this year.
It is still posting public observations, and 26 total avalanche reports from this weekend were called in by members of the public.
The UAC still includes PSAs about wet snow, new snow and wind-drifted snow in its forecasts. The No Name Bowl avalanche was from wet snow, and the PCMR one was from new snow, the reporters said.
UAC forecaster Trent Meisenheimer said, usually, snow gets stronger as time goes on. That’s because it has time to bond and sinter.
“But this winter was one of those winters where it just wouldn't stop snowing,” Meisenheimer said. “So it was like the glue never actually set.”
That means as layers get peeled back by avalanches, the snow underneath may still be loose enough to avalanche again. Plus, spring heat makes that loose snow wet.
Meisenheimer says loose and wet snow can stick together on its way down a slope, making one of these avalanches more dangerous the larger the slope is.
“This one snowball could turn into basically an ocean of snow,” Meisenheimer said.
The other type of avalanche UAC looks out for in the spring is one that’s less well understood: the wet slab.
“That slab is like an entire plate of snow just ripping off the side of the mountain at once,” Meisenheimer said.
Meisenheimer said, in the Wasatch Mountains, the Provo area saw lots of wet slabs in early April, whereas the Cottonwoods area saw more wet and loose snow avalanches.
UAC will continue to update weather and snow totals on its website, along with basic information, every time it snows until May 7. After that, only the public avalanche reports will be posted.
Because the center is no longer releasing danger ratings, forecasters say it's up to the skiers themselves to be safe, aware and prepared in the backcountry now.
