Week in Review: Avalanche Conditions and Snowpack Developments (December 6 - December 12, 2024) Each week, we look back at the key snowfall, weather, and avalanche events from the previous week. For archived forecasts, visit the Salt Lake Mountains’ past updates. The danger roses for the Salt Lake mountains from Friday, December 6th through Thursday, December 12th: Overall Summary: The avalanche danger remained LOW for most of the week, with no major avalanche activity reported in the backcountry. Winds increased throughout the week, with gusts up to 60 mph, and a …

Risk Management Trends in US Backcountry Avalanche Accidents: Skiers and Snowboarders Ian McCammon and Kelly McNeil The full paper can be found HERE In this paper, longtime researchers Ian McCammon and Kelly McNeil set out to look at historical avalanche safety messages to see if they were still relevant and how they might be updated. What follows is a set of updated safety messages to help us better calibrate our planning and preparation and therefore reduce our overall avalanche risk in the backcountry. Below are a set of six simple, actionable …

Week in Review: Avalanche Conditions and Snowpack Developments (November 29 - December 5, 2024) Each week, we look back at the key snowfall, weather, and avalanche events from the previous week. For archived forecasts, visit the Salt Lake Mountains’ past updates. The danger roses for the Salt Lake mountains from Friday, November 29th through Thursday, December 5th: Overall Summary: This week, avalanche danger transitioned from MODERATE to LOW as high pressure settled in. The Persistent Weak Layer (PWL) in the snowpack remained the primary concern throughout …

(Originally published in the fall 2023 issue of The Avalanche Review) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Introduction: When I asked Colorado avalanche forecaster and researcher Jason Konigsberg to look over a short avalanche essay that involved God and Nietzsche, he said, Sure, but I don’t know much about those guys…) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bluebird. I’m near the top of Empire. A beautiful white canvas of avalanche terrain. My second Extended Column Test of the day without full propagation. Propagation Saw Tests are…arresting…with …

An impactful way to learn about avalanches is through stories, especially unsolved mysteries. Most avalanche accidents are tragic, but retelling stories memorializes those killed and can teach us, who intend to venture into avalanche terrain, valuable lessons. In May 1990, Bruce Tremper, then the Director of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center, wrote the report on the Mark Miller Accident. The report lived in the 1989/90 UAC Annual Report until I pulled it out on the 35th anniversary of Miller's disappearance. I reworked Bruce's narrative a tiny bit and made a blog. Whether or not an …

Utah's 6th Annual Avalanche Awareness Week is Upon Us! Six years ago the Utah Legislature passed House Bill 380, recognizing the first week of December as Avalanche Awareness Week. Join the Utah Avalanche Center and the Division of Outdoor Recreation to celebrate the Sixth Annual Avalanche Awareness Week, from December 2 - December 8. The goal of this week is to ultimately save lives through activities that promote avalanche awareness, education, and safety. We have a variety of events to promote avalanche safety this week. See the list of events below to find one near …

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