Utah Avalanche Center issues EXTREME avalanche danger warning across the state

On Jan. 13 three riders in American Fork were caught and carried. Two were partially buried, with one person being fully buried several feet deep. The riders were luckily rescued by another group in the area. Photo: Utah Avalanche Center

UTAH — The Utah Avalanche Center (UAC) has issued an extreme avalanche danger warning for six regions across Utah, including the Salt Lake area, encompassing the Wasatch Back and Park City mountains.

The Salt Lake region avalanche report for Jan. 14 warns that DEADLY AND DANGEROUS AVALANCHE CONDITIONS EXIST ON ALL ASPECTS AND ELEVATIONS. NATURAL AND HUMAN-TRIGGERED AVALANCHES ARE CERTAIN. AVOID ALL AVALANCHE TERRAIN.

In the past 24 hours, Wasatch mountains have picked up 14-21 inches of new snow with 1.0-2.0 inches of water. Some overnight hourly readings had more than 3″ per hour snowfall rates. Since January 9, the Wasatch mountains have picked up roughly 66″ (5.5 feet) of new snow in the upper Cottonwoods containing close to 6 inches of water.

Heavy snowfall and strong winds will continue and by the end of the day, snow totals could be 12-20 inches of new snow. We could see a total of 30-40 inches of new snow by Monday evening.

For the latest avalanche information visit thee Utah Avalanche Center website.

Close Call in American Fork

On Jan. 13 three riders in American Fork were caught and carried in a large avalanche. Two were partially buried, with one person being fully buried several feet deep. Luckily, another group was in the area as they rolled up and found and dug out the buried rider. The rider came out of the snow blue but was ok.

Hurry up and wait

Expect delayed openings at resorts across Utah today as mountain operation teams work to safely open the resort.

Park City Mountain says they are expecting significant delays on upper and mid mountain terrain openings for avalanche mitigation and closed uphill ski traffic this morning for snow safety.

Powder Mountain Resort has announced they will not open today.

Deer Valley Resort announced lift tickets are sold out for Jan. 14.

Jan. 12 avalanche in No Name Bowl

The UAC has reported a large, destructive, 3 foot deep slab avalanche in No Name Bowl off the Park City ridge line. The avalanche propagated 1500′ wide and traveled 900′. On Friday, Jan. 12 a forecaster described the backcountry conditions  as “hair trigger” after kicking off the avalanche in No Name Bowl, further saying the video alone should show people “just how dangerous the backcountry right now is. It is absolutely no joke out here.”