There is still some snow on the mountains but we have yet to experience a good storm in the valleys. Castle Country Radio was able to speak over the telephone with the Utah Avalanche Center’s Brett Kobernik about the latest conditions.
“December was a really slow month as far as snowfall and we’re a bit below average. I think we’re in the, somewhere around the 60 to 70 percent range for annual snowfall to this point. The snowpack is fairly shallow there is enough for folks to get up there an enjoy it, travel around in snowshoes, and skis and snowmobiles to a certain extent. We’re not traveling all over like we usually are by about this time this season but there’s enough snow to get up there an recreate right now,” stated Kobernik. The avalanche conditions right now are fairly quiet and it’s relatively safe up there right now.
Right now the snow that has been sitting can pose a danger if and when we do get new snow fall. “That’s exactly what I’ve been looking at here with this current snowpack. What happens with this snowpack is they sit around for a long time, two week, three weeks, with no new snow. That snow that’s on the ground starts to turn to a loose sugary type of snow grain and once we start adding layers on top of it, it spells bad news,” stated Kobernik. It’s not an issue right now, as we do have safe avalanche conditions, but once the snow begins to fall it will pose some dangers.
How we get the snow, will determine how dangerous the avalanche conditions could get. “You know is it better to have a slow loading process, where we see small storms over a long period of time or is it better just for it to all come at once? My take is I’d rather, at this point, because it’s so weak, I’d rather see large storms and have the avalanche cycle run it’s course and then we can start concentrating on when things become stable again,” said Kobernik. With current weather conditions and no snow storms in the forecast it’s almost certain when we do get snow, we will face some avalanche dangers.
Knowing the conditions before you head out and arming yourself with information is your best resource. “You can check the daily avalanche forecast at https://utahavalanchecenter.org/ search for the Skyline. That will tell you what the current conditions are, if there’s been storms moving through, how much snow, what the stability is like. We rate the avalanche danger from low to moderate to extreme,” said Kobernik. The website offers educational information, calendar of avalanche training events and a store. The website is sure to help folks make wise decisions when it comes to recreating in the backcountry.