Snow fun abounds, but avalanche danger considerable

By STEVE CHRISTENSEN
Contributing writer

    Snowmobiling got a major boost over the weekend with some mountain locations getting up to a foot of new snow.
    Until the recent storm snowmobile activity was pretty much restricted to mountain roads. There wasn’t enough snow on sagebrush flats to cover the sagebrush. That’s changed in some locations, but the recent storms have also greatly enhanced the chance of an avalanche.
    New snow on top of old snow is a recipe for disaster.
    Many avid snowmobilers hadn’t even started their machines this year. Now everyone is scrambling to get ready to go. As is the case with most motorized toys, snowmobilers are pretty self sufficient. That’s necessary in Castle Country, since there aren’t many places that service snowmobiles.
    There are numerous places to go snowmobiling, with one of the state favorites being Skyline Drive. Lots of people from the Wasatch Front end up there. Access is from Highway 31 either from Huntington on the east or Fairview on the west. You can also access the area from Scofield, via highways 96 and 264.
    There are several parking lots to accommodate snowmobile trailers. All of the parking lots can be full on weekends when conditions are good. Often times people even park along the roads. With all those people it may seem like it’s a very busy place, and it can be. But once away from the parking lots people spread out and one can still find solitude.
    The Utah Avalanche Center is warning people the new snow creates avalanche danger that hasn’t existed until now. Avalanche danger has increased from Moderate to Considerable, with the Avalanche Center saying, “The avalanche danger remains CONSIDERABLE on steep slopes above about 9500’ that face west, north and east. Human triggered avalanches are likely in this terrain today.”
    The Utah Avalanche Center updates advisories every day. It’s important that anyone going in the backcountry check the website or call before venturing into avalanche terrain. Conditions can change in a matter of hours.
    People die in avalanches every year, and most death occur to snowmobilers. There are reasons for that. Snowmobiles make is easier to get into remote areas, snowmobiles can trigger avalanches, and some snowmobilers don’t take the threat seriously.
    The Avalanche Center motto is, “Know before you go.” The website is: utahavalanchecenter.org
    The website also has a calendar of avalanche training opportunities.
    The phone number for recorded avalanche information is 888-999-4019.
    The information was not current as of Tuesday. Brett Kobernik, a forecaster with the Center said the information was not being recorded properly, due to an equipment malfunction. He promised to look into it and get the issue resolved. He suggested people use the website. The information there is updated daily.
    The number for the Utah Avalanche Center office is 801-524-5304.
    Check the forecast before you go and watch conditions closely while you’re in the backcountry. If it snows all day don’t depend on the forecast you got early in the morning. A few inches of new snow falling on old snow can result in an avalanche.
    Kobernik said it’s important for anyone going near avalanche terrain to wear a locater beacon and have in their possession an avalanche probe and shovel.
    Talking about the Skyline area specifically, Kobernik said, “The biggest concern is triggering and getting caught in an avalanche that breaks into weak faceted sugar snow near the ground. There is no way that you can justify getting onto steep terrain right now that has this weak snow present. It will get trickier as time goes on because we won’t see any obvious signs of avalanches until perhaps the fourth person on the slope triggers something. I cannot stress enough that this situation calls for caution for some time to come.”