There are been some snow storms that have moved through the area in the last few weeks and with the holidays coming up there may be some folks that are going up to enjoy the mountains. Country Radio was able to speak with the Utah Avalanche Center’s Bret Kobernik about the latest conditions.

“The last time we talked we’ve gotten some more snow. We’re up to about three feet in total snow depth there along the upper elevations. Really the avalanche problems revolve around that early season snow, and it sat around for a while in Nov. about two weeks of a dry spell then. What happens is the snow that was on the ground during that dry spell turned into this loose sugary layer of snow, and now we’ve buried it with more snow. We’re going to continue to put more snow on top of that weak layer of snow,” said Kobernik. These are the conditions that cause avalanches in the backcountry. Officials have seen some natural avalanches take place on their own when inspecting areas in the mountains, so things are pretty touchy right now and will continue to be as more snow storms are in the forecast.

Individuals can go out to enjoy activities in the backcountry if you keep a few safety tips in mind. “The most important thing is when we are dealing with avalanche danger, like we are right now, and like we will be, that you stick to low angled slopes. We always advise folks to stay off of slopes that are steeper than 30 degrees in slopes steepness. So the best thing to do is to stay and recreate in the meadows and low-angled slopes, make sure there nothing steep above you as well. So traveling through steep gullies and ravines is not recommended,” stated Kobernik. Its necessary to stay in flat, open, terrain areas to keep yourself safe from avalanche dangers.

Officials have been diligent in inspecting areas in the backcountry so they are able to report the most accurate readings to the public. “I look for the most obvious signs of recent avalanches. So anytime I see a recent avalanche, that pricks up the hair on the back of my neck, so that’s the most obvious sign. But I look for these collapses that I was talking about, and we also dig down through the snow to analyze those different layers. Because we are dealing with different layers throughout the winter, each storm is its own layer of snow. So we analyze those to see how they’re interacting with each other,” said Kobernik. Folks can check out avalanche information on the Utah Avalanche Center’s website at https://utahavalanchecenter.org/