There was a bit of small snow storm that passed through, putting a little snow up on the mountains, but we still have yet to experience snow 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.

The weekend forecast is predicting some snow storms will pass through again. “We’ll see a little bit trickle in into the weekend. It might add up to a few inches of new snow, maybe enough to refresh conditions for folks to enjoy that snow. The conditions are little better than they have been, let’s put it that way. It’s been pretty variable up there, but this snow is not going to change the avalanche conditions a lot, at this time, let’s put it that way Dave,” said Kobernik.  Although the recent storms have left some snow it hasn’t posed a danger yet but if we get at least one good storm those conditions can change very quickly.

Knowing the weather conditions before you head out to recreate in the backcountry is the best thing to do when preparing to head outdoors. “Keeping an eye on the weather, check the daily avalanche forecast at the https://utahavalanchecenter.org/ website. That will arm you with some information prior to going up into the mountains so you know what to expect when you get up there. Like I say its currently not all that dangerous right now, we’ve had generally low avalanche conditions through most of December. But we are anticipating things to get dangerous down the road so folks just need to be aware of that and then like you say, check the weather,” said Kobernik. You can always check avalanche conditions by visiting the https://utahavalanchecenter.org/ website as they update conditions regularly.

Keeping safe in the backcountry really is about common since, knowing the area and the terrain. “The most simple way for folks to stay safe out in the backcountry, even if it’s really dangerous conditions, just stay on the low angle slopes and don’t be underneath steep slopes. That’s the easiest way to stay safe out there, that’s how I stay safe when I go out to look at these conditions,” said Kobernik.  Sticking to these guidelines will keep one safe while recreating out in the backcountry.