A Big Thanks To The Utah Avalanche Center

With spring in the air, I'm feeling even more grateful than usual for all that the Utah Avalanche Center does to keep us updated on what's going on in the mountains. While we may not be dealing with a persistent weak layer at this time in the season, variable temperatures, late season storms, and wind make avalanche conditions dynamic. The daily forecasts from the Utah Avalanche Center, however, provide a consistently good resource for understanding what to look for in mountain ranges across Utah.

For example, the avalanche danger on March 30th was listed as "Moderate" on all aspects at mid and upper elevations (elevations above 8,000 feet) with the caveat that the danger could rise to "Considerable" due to projected snow and wind throughout the day. While the forecasts don't (and shouldn't) tell you where to go, they provide you with a lot of information that you need to be an autonomous backcountry traveler... and that's pretty dang helpful.

As someone who just moved to the Wasatch last winter, I am definitely still learning a lot about how to read and move through avalanche terrain. I feel incredibly grateful for the mentors and ski partners I have to help me and I read the Utah Avalanche Center forecast pretty much every day. Even if I'm not skiing, I like to know what's going on and to keep tabs on how the snow is changing in days leading up to when I ski.

If you haven't already, check out the Utah Avalanche Center website here.