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Jed Boal ReportingHeavy snow and wind set the stage for high avalanche danger today. But, after an early avalanche warning, the conditions reported from the mountains were not as bad as forecasters originally feared.
Bruce Tremper of the Utah Avalanche Center: "So we cancelled the avalanche warning for today, but we'll have to monitor it because we have more snow coming in for the rest of the day. There are probably not a lot of natural avalanches coming down from above that will catch you, but you could trigger the avalanche yourself. Considerable danger is still quite dangerous, but not quite as dangerous as we thought."
The snow is light density, and as long as winds don't pick up, conditions should not deteriorate. So the danger is considerable, rather than high.
Anyone venturing away from avalanche controlled areas should know what that means.
It's hard to zero in on a specific number of people who head out into the backcountry to ski or snowmobile, because you don't have to buy a pass. But, more people are using the resources at the Utah Avalanche Center.
Bruce Tremper/Utah Avalanche Center: "Our website has a huge number of new products, and a new look and feel that we're coming out with in the next month, so it's pretty exciting."
Also new this year, the Forest Service and ski resorts have put up beeping signs at backcountry exit points. The signs give skiers a gear check, and they beep and blink when they pick up signals from avalanche beacons, which every back-country skier should carry.
The Avalanche Center presents regular talks and clinics on avalanche awareness. There's one tonight at seven o'clock at R.E.I.
For more information and current conditions, check out the Utah Avalanche Center website.
