FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

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Snow and Avalanches in Utah 

Annual Report 1999-2000

Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center 

In partnership with: 

Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center 

National Weather Service 

Utah Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management 

Salt Lake County 

Utah State University 

Utah State Parks and Recreation 

Copies of this report can be obtained by writing or calling: 

Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center 

2242 W. North Temple 

Salt Lake City, UT 84116 

(801) 524-5304 ph. 

(801) 524-4030 fax. 

Or view online at: 

www.avalanche.org
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

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FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

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The Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center -- An Overview 

 

Our goal: 

Help keep people on top of the Greatest Snow on Earth instead of buried beneath it. 

Where do avalanche accidents occur? 

Ninety nine percent of all avalanche fatalities occur in the backcountry—areas outside of 

ski area boundaries where no avalanche control is done. Ski areas and highway 

avalanche control crews routinely knock down avalanches with explosives before the 

public arrives each morning. They have done their jobs so well that since 1980, less 

than one percent of avalanche fatalities have involved general public on open runs at ski 

areas or on open highways. 

What kind of people get caught in avalanches? 

Ninety two percent of people killed in avalanches since 1985 have been recreationists, 

and they are almost always very skilled in their sport. In almost all cases their skill in 

their sport significantly outpaces their avalanche skills. Looking at the most recent 5 

years of national data, nearly twice as many snowmobilers have been killed as any other 

user group, followed by climbers, backcountry skiers, snowboarders and miscellaneous 

recreationists such as hikers and snowshoers (see charts on page 21). 

How do people get caught? 

In over 95 percent of avalanche fatalities, the avalanche was triggered by the victim or 

someone in the victim’s party. As Pogo says, “We have met the enemy and it is us.” 

Which is actually good, because it means that, 95 percent of the time, we can avoid 

avalanche accidents through our route finding and snow stability decisions. 

In summary, avalanche fatalities occur almost exclusively in the backcountry, almost 

always involve recreationists, and almost all avalanche incidents can be avoided if we 

choose. 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

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How we help solve the problem: 

We give backcountry travelers the weapon of knowledge. In order to avoid triggering 

avalanches, backcountry travelers need: 

Critical, up-to-date avalanche information. 

We issue daily, recorded avalanche advisories that give the public important avalanche 

information they need to make their life-and-death decisions in avalanche terrain. And 

we also forecast snow stability and weather trends into the future. Our information helps 

the public to decide what kind of terrain is safe, what kind is dangerous and we give 

them useful clues to look for when they venture into avalanche terrain. 

We provide information on current avalanche conditions primarily through our avalanche 

advisories. People access these by: 

 Recorded telephone message updated each day 

 Live interviews each day on two different public radio stations 

 The Internet 

 Faxes sent out each morning to businesses and Forest Service offices 

 In times of extreme or unusual avalanche conditions, we issue an avalanche 

warning that reaches all the broadcast and print media as well as NOAA weather 

radio. 

Finally, we “preach the avalanche gospel” as much as possible to the local, national and 

international media. This season, for instance, several documentaries played on 

national television including National Geographic and several on the Discovery Channel 

and PBS. UAFC staff are featured in most of these documentaries. 

Avalanche education: 

We teach about 25 free, basic avalanche awareness classes each season. These not 

only give the public an overview of the avalanche problem, but also some basic 

avalanche skills. These classes encourage them to take a more involved avalanche 

class offered by the private sector. 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

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Our Philosophy: 

Just because people hear the information doesn’t mean they listen. Even good 

information, if presented in a boring way, wastes the taxpayer’s money because no one 

will remember it. Therefore, we try to make the advisories entertaining so that people will 

remember what they hear and enjoy the experience enough to use the advisories 

regularly. We try and use all the standard tools of effective writing and speaking such as 

using active voice, first person, examples and stories to illustrate points, humor where 

appropriate and reading the bulletins in a natural voice, like talking to a friend. The 

recorded bulletins are informal, chatty and funny, yet informative. It also makes our work 

fun. 

 

We believe local forecasters do a much better job than distant forecasters. 

Local people know local conditions better. They can get out in the mountains every day, 

they see it from their window and they talk with people on the street about it. Because of 

this, we believe that local people should issue avalanche bulletins for local areas, as 

long as they have the avalanche skills to do so. For this reason, four crews of avalanche 

forecasters operate in Utah, one in Logan, another in Salt Lake City, one on the Manti 

Skyline and a fourth in Moab. 

We believe in a strong field-based program. 

Avalanche forecasting is more of an art than a science. And because of this, computers 

never have, and most likely never will, be able to forecast avalanche hazard as well as 

an experienced and skilled human being. Avalanche forecasting works best when the 

person putting out the forecast has an intimate, daily connection to the snowpack. We 

notice that the longer we spend in an office, the more out of touch with the snowpack we 

become. Therefore we always put in one or more field days before our forecasting shift, 

and we never have more than two forecast days in a row. 

This is our philosophy and it seems to be working. More people access the UAFC 

bulletin each season than any other avalanche advisory in North America, and the 

number keep increasing by an average of 20 percent per year. The numbers of people 

going into the backcountry keep increasing exponentially, yet the death rate has risen 

more slowly. We also see an increasing demand for avalanche education and 

information, not only by Utahns, but by the national an international media. 

 

We are very passionate about our work because it’s more than a job, it saves lives. 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

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Nuts and Bolts 

The UAC is operationally separated into four entities: 

• Bear River drainage (Logan area – northern Utah and southeast Idaho) 

• Wasatch Mountains (Ogden, Salt Lake, Park City and Provo area mountains) 

• Manti Skyline (Fairfield Canyon – Wasatch Plateau) 

• La Sal Mountains (near Moab) 

Mike Jenkins heads the Logan operation with a staff of: Drew Hardesty and Spencer 

Logan. Mike Jenkins has taught a quarter-long avalanche class for Utah State 

University for a number of years and he has organized a fine consortium of local 

volunteers, graduate students and workers. Their office is located at Utah State 

University in the Department of Forest Resources and they are all Utah State University 

employees. 

In Moab, Faerthen Felix is the program director with a part-time staff of Eric Trenbeath, 

(who works for Utah State University) and several volunteer workers. The Moab office is 

located in the Moab Ranger District on the Manti-Lasal National Forest. 

Faerthen also oversees the Manti Skyline forecast, which is issued by Craig Gordon and 

Eric Trenbeath, both Utah State University employees. 

 

Last, but not least, the vast majority of the backcountry use occurs in the Wasatch 

Range of northern Utah. A staff of six full time workers cover the Ogden, Salt Lake City, 

Park City and Provo area mountains—arguably the most heavily used mountain range in 

the U.S. Bruce Tremper, in his 14th season, is the Co-Director along with Evelyn Lees. 

This season, Tremper spent most of his time working on Olympic-related avalanche 

problems while Lees oversaw the day-to-day operations. The rest of the very 

experienced staff include: Tom Kimbrough, Seth Shaw, Ethan Greene and Jeff Brown. 

All are Forest Service employees under the Intermountain Regional Office. The Salt 

Lake office is co-located with the National Weather Service at the Salt Lake International 

Airport. 

Lastly, a private, nonprofit group, the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, contract the 

intrepid Bob Athey as a full time backcountry observer. Although Bruce Tremper and 

Evelyn Lees spend most of his time in the Wasatch operation, they oversee all three 

operations to insure consistency in quality. 

The Utah Avalanche Center is a Forest Service program under the Intermountain Region 

and the Manti-La Sal National Forest, in partnership with Utah State University, the State 

of Utah Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake 

County, the National Weather Service and private contributions through the Friends of 

the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center. 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

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The public can access the bulletins in the following ways:

Telephone:

Salt Lake City - (24 phone lines) (801) 364-1581 

Logan (multi-line PBX system at Utah State University) (435) 797-4146 

Park City (multi-line PBX system at Park City Resort) (435) 658-5512 

Ogden (multi-line PBX system at Weber State University) (801) 626-8600 

Provo (multi-line PBX system at Brigham Young University) (435) 378-4333 

Alta (multi-line PBX system through the Town of Alta) (801) 742-0830 

Moab (single phone line) (435) 259-7669 

Radio Stations (live on-air reports each morning around 8:00 am) 

KRCL 91 FM 

KPCW 92 FM 

Internet:

http://www.avalanche.org 

http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/Saltlake 

http://www.csac.org 

Fax:

We operate an automated fax distribution of the bulletin for selected businesses and 

Forest Service offices that post a hard copy for the public to read. 

To contact our office: (801) 524-5304 (phone) 

 (801) 524-4030 (fax) 

e-mail: uafc@avalanche.org
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

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Season Highlights 

Weather and Snowpack 

It was a very warm season with very stable snow. It was the seventh warmest winter on 

record at the Salt Lake Airport. The snow line remained about halfway up the mountain 

ranges for most of the season. High elevation areas experienced near normal snowfall 

but low elevation areas suffered a skimpy season. 

Incidents and Accidents 

On a positive note, only two avalanche fatalities occurred this season, which is below the 

5-year moving average of 3.4 fatalities per year for Utah. This reflected the national 

trend of below normal avalanche fatalities. Nationally only 22 avalanche fatalities 

occurred this season (as of this writing). This is below the national average of 26. Low 

fatality numbers are attributed to the very warm winter experienced throughout most of 

the West, which creates stable avalanche conditions. 

Media 

The national and local media continued its fascination with avalanches. National 

television documentaries about avalanches continued to play on the Discovery Channel 

TBS and PBS. Most of these documentaries feature Utah Avalanche Center staff 

featured in a very positive light. In addition, Bruce Tremper was interviewed this season 

for yet another national TV avalanche documentary for the Discovery Channel and was 

the featured guest of the hour-long NPR radio program “Talk of the Nation” and Ethan 

Greene was interviewed by NPR’s “The Savvy Traveler.” The UAC staff logged 56 

media contacts which include one national television interview, fourteen national 

television requests for information, two national radio interviews, seventeen national print 

interviews, five local television interviews, six local radio interviews and eleven local print 

interviews. 

Education

Utah Avalanche Center staff taught 54 classes avalanche classes this season, directly 

reaching a total of 2242 people. These classes range from hour-long avalanche 

awareness classes to multi-day Level II classes. Each of these classes was specifically 

tailored to the group ranging from grade school and Boy Scout classes to professional 

ski patrollers and university scientists. 

Snowmobile outreach 

Thanks to a grant from the National Recreation Trails Program, we hired Craig Gordon 

and Eric Trenbeath, to do avalanche education and forecasting specifically for 

snowmobilers. They taught 18 snowmobile avalanche courses reaching 556 people and 

issued a weekend avalanche advisory for the Manti Skyline, a popular snowmobile area 

in central Utah. We hope that this will help to stem the rising tide of snowmobiler 

avalanche fatalities. 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

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Use of UAC Products – Changing Technologies 

Because it was such a dry, warm year, public access of UAC products was down 

compared to previous years. With rain and green grass in town for most of the winter it’s 

hard to get very excited about heading into the mountains. Still, the UAC avalanche 

advisory and mountain weather forecast received more use than for any other avalanche 

center in North America. 

Because of the rise in popularity of the Internet, we have noticed in recent years, that 

more and more public access the advisories electronically than listen to the telephone 

recording. We live in an increasingly time-constrained society and now that over half the 

households have home Internet connections and most people have access to the 

Internet at work, we can expect the trend to continue. Other avalanche centers have 

noticed these trends as well. 

Technology has changed the way we do business. Although telephone recordings are 

more personal, about twice as many people access the advisories over the Internet. 

And a format that works for the telephone does not translate very well to the Internet. 

Web surfers rarely take the time to read a long-winded page of text. They would rather 

linger on graphics-intensive pages or bulleted, concise information. This is especially 

true with young, Internet and MTV-addicted audiences who are also the most likely 

people to get killed in avalanches. To effectively serve the public, we must change with 

the times. 

This season, we have experimented with web pages that use icons, images and short, 

bulleted text to convey critical avalanche information. We are also experimenting with a 

GIS display of avalanche danger. The user sees a computer generated, oblique view of 

a mountain massif on which the avalanche paths and avalanche danger ratings are 

draped over the terrain. For instance, the forecast might call for a “high danger on all 

northwest through northeast-facing slopes above 10,000 feet steeper than 35 degrees.” 

It’s hard, especially for inexperienced users, to visualize exactly what this kind of terrain 

looks like or where they would find it. But when displayed graphically, it’s easy to 

visualize. Avalanche danger is almost never the same in all parts of a mountain range. 

It varies by aspect, elevation, slope steepness, exposure to wind, anchoring and terrain 

shape—all very hard concepts to describe with words but very easy to describe with 

imagery. 

The development of this kind of display has so far proved to be too expensive and 

complex for our meager budget and limited time, but we hope that we will finally have a 

version suitable for public display by the 200-2001 season. 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

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Total Utah Avalanche Product Use 

1999-2000

( 573,000 Total Public Accesses of UAC Avalanche Products)

Salt Lake Telephone

Logan Telephone

Ogden Telephone

Provo Telephone

Park City Telephone

Alta

Telephone

State Snow-mobile Hotline Advisory Internet Hits

Weather Internet Hits

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

300000

350000

400000

Calls and Internet Accesses

197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000

Season

Total Product access per Season

Weather Internet Hits

Advisory Internet Hits

State Snow-mobile Hotline

Alta

Telephone

Park City Telephone

Provo Telephone

Ogden Telephone

Logan Telephone

Salt Lake Telephone

Use of UAC products has fallen slightly this season due to the warm, dry winter. As Internet access of the 

products increases, call counts decrease. 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

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Season History – Northern Utah 

Like most places in the west, it wasn’t much of a winter. It was slow to start, soon to end 

and it fell asleep a couple times in the middle. In addition, at least at the Salt Lake 

Airport, it was the seventh warmest winter on record. The snow line hovered about 

halfway up the mountains for most of the winter and significant snow fell in Salt Lake 

City only a couple times. Down in the valleys the grass remained green for much of the 

winter with rain more common than snow—nearly as miserable as a winter in Seattle. 

Elevation was the key. Higher elevation areas ended up with a near normal snowpack 

but low elevation areas suffered throughout the winter. As a final insult, April set a 

record for the percentage loss of snowpack through melting. 

Also, because of the warm temperatures, the snowpack was solid and stable for an 

uncharacteristically large percentage of the winter. There were only two avalanche 

fatalities in Utah, one in southern Idaho and only one injury—much below normal for 

Utah. 

November: 

November set the tone for the early season of this below average winter. As late as 

November 15 there was almost no snow on the ground at Alta. Several small storms in 

the second half of the month added up to about 30 inches of snowfall, with 20 inches on 

the ground at the Guard Station at the end of the month. The east side of the range and 

Alta November - April Snowfall

0.0

100.0

200.0

300.0

400.0

500.0

600.0

700.0

800.0

1946194719481949195019511952195319541955195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000

Winter

Inches of Snowfall

Average
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

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the Ogden and Provo Mountains fared even worse. Snowbasin and Sundance were not 

open in November and Park City lost the America's Opening World Cup races, which it 

has reliably hosted for a number of years, because it was too warm to even make 

artificial snow. On the positive side, the lack of snow equaled a lack of avalanches. In 

some years, the early part of the season is a dangerous time, with many people eager to 

get out despite unstable snow conditions. This year, with the lack of snow, people just 

weren't getting caught. The month ended with 32 inches of snowfall at the Alta Guard 

Station. 

December: 

The snow pack difference between the Cottonwood Canyons and other parts of the 

range became more prominent during December. Alta had slightly above average 

snowfall for the month, at 97 inches, finishing with about 40 inches on the ground at the 

Guard Station. This provided decent backcountry touring conditions at mid and upper 

elevations in the central Wasatch. The eastern side of the range had about half as much 

on the ground. Sundance in the southern Wasatch was able to open with the aid of 

snowmaking. In the Ogden Mountains, poor Snowbasin was still constructing their new 

snowmaking equipment and they lost the entire Christmas season. 

Storms in the first two thirds of the month finally produced a few avalanches but 

conditions were never too serious and no avalanche accidents occurred. There was no 

precipitation during the final 10 days of the century, giving a restful Holiday Season to 

the Wasatch avalanche workers. 

January: 

The thin snowpack during November and December provided ideal conditions for 

developing the dreaded depth hoar, or sugar snow, near the ground, especially outside 

of the Cottonwood Canyons where thin snow provided the perfect metamorphic 

conditions. Then the clear weather at the end of December added a layer of weak snow 

to the surface of the pack. The missing ingredient was a blanket of more cohesive snow 

on top of the various weak crystals. The first 11 days of the new millennium provided 

just that blanket. 

Most areas around the Wasatch just about doubled their snow pack during this period, 

although that is not saying much for this skimpy season. Unfortunately, the avalanche 

danger also increased dramatically. Human triggered slides became more common and 

on January 11 tragedy struck. On the 10th the danger rose from "moderate" to 

"considerable" and, on the morning of the 11th, to "high." In a very tragic accident, a 

married couple, skiing the lifts at The Canyons, decided to leave the boundaries of the 

resort and triggered a large avalanche in the backcountry. They failed to pick up their 

young child at the day care that night, and a search team located night and their bodies 

the following afternoon. 

A couple of warm storms with high elevation rain/snow lines helped stabilize the deeper 

weak layers in the snowpack during the second half of January. But there always seems 

to be a trade-off. The warmth also formed slick and hard sliding surfaces. Fortunately a 

long series of human-triggered slides occurred almost daily, but had no unhappy 

endings, despite a few close calls. 
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At the month's end, winter had returned to the Wasatch—albeit briefly. The snow line 

was down to the valley floor and the Alta Guard Station snowfall total for the month hit 

114 inches, 18 inches above average. 

 

February: 

For the month of February, the much-anticipated and well-funded IPEX project set up in 

the National Weather Service office. IPEX (Intermountain Precipitation Experiment) 

funded by a consortium of federal and university entities, was designed to intensively 

study winter storms in Utah for the month of February—not coincidentally, the same 

month as the Olympic Games. Dozens of scientists descended on the National Weather 

Service office, which we share, armed with a truckload of computers, a portable Doppler 

radar and storm chaser aircraft—most of which sat idle for during the first half of 

February. The normally reliable computer models forecasted several storms that failed 

to materialize over the Great Basin. The scientists in charge of the operation were 

looking rather pale as their expensive equipment collected deeper and deeper layers of 

dust waiting for the first February storm. 

At last a series of storms arrived that became the largest snow producer of the winter, 

although—and it goes without saying--relatively warm for Utah. They didn't provide quite 

the usual "greatest snow on earth" but the warmth did reduce the avalanche danger by 

speeding the stabilization process within the new snow. 

The weak early season snow, still hiding underneath the January and February deposits 

tossed in isolated wild cards. Occasionally someone would trigger a slope that would 

break down into these deep layers, a fact that we grew tired of repeating in our 

avalanche advisories. Several people had close calls from these deep slab avalanches 

and on February 19 a snowmobiler was killed just north of the Idaho border as a large 

avalanche broke to the ground. 

This season's snowiest month finally pushed the total depth at the Alta Guard Station 

over the 100-inch mark with a well above average 119 inches. 

March: 

The winter began tapering off in March. One decent storm arrived on the 8th and 9th of 

the month, along with several weaker systems evenly spaced over the remaining weeks. 

Temperatures were rather warm (of course) and the high sun angles triggered shallow 

wet slides as skies cleared after the storms passed but generally avalanche activity was 

at a minimum. 

Snowfall numbers remained slightly below average 88 inches for Alta. The total depth at 

the Guard Station dropped below 100 inches on March 22, beginning an inexorable 

decline. 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

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April: 

Following the tapering off period in March the winter came to an early close in April. 

April is often a wet month in Utah, but not this season. Only 15 inches of snow fell at 

Alta, over 50 inches less than normal, off by 78 percent. So what else is new? 

The sunny days did provide a fine melt-freeze cycle and mostly cool nighttime 

temperatures gave good corn snow skiing and boarding for the first half of the month. 

The warm winter also had increased snow pack densities increasing the quality and 

distribution of the corn. But there was the inevitable trade-off; the hot sun had baked off 

most of the southerly facing slopes by the end of the month. 

For a seemingly short and warm winter the final numbers weren't that bad. The average 

total snowfall at Alta is right at 500 inches. This year's inches added up to 446, only 

down by 11%. But the numbers were very elevation dependant. The lower elevation 

resorts had significantly below normal snowfall, especially at their base. 

The snowpack in April melted at a record pace. Which didn’t surprise anyone. 

Season History – La Sal Mountains – by Faerthen Felix 

September 

Labor Day’s customary snow appears a couple of days later than expected, and much 

heavier than is usual: 8” instead of the expected dusting. Taken as a sign of things to 

come, this harbinger hits the nail on the head with the timing of winter’s arrival, which 

was considerably later than normal. In fact, we wouldn’t see another snowflake until late 

November. When winter finally arrives, will it be as heavy as the early snow predicts? 

October 

The summer lingers, not that anyone seems to mind. Perpetually cloudy July and August 

gave us more than our annual precipitation needs, so the late-season sun is embraced 

by everyone. Surprisingly, there is no new snow in the mountains this month, and the 

September snow gradually fades away, leaving a clean (and stable) slate for winter’s 

eventual arrival. 

November 

A spectacular Indian Summer persists and, pleasant as it is, it begins to feel unnatural 

and creepy as the end of the month approaches. Finally, a trace of snow touches the 

high mountains on the 20th, followed by 9” on the 22nd. Temperatures remain mild, so the 

snow settles rapidly rather than faceting into a dangerous weak layer. Some skiing and 

sledding can be done on the Geyser Pass road, but the pack is far too shallow to allow 

backcountry turns or avalanches. 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

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New staff arrives at the MLSAFC for the season. Peter Hawkins from the University of 

Bath joins us as our intern, and Eric Trenbeath takes on the role of Assistant Forecaster 

and Snowmobile educator for Southern Utah. 

December 

Snow begins to gradually slink in as the month progresses, but it’s more of a fan-dance 

tease than anything else. A trace falls on the 1st, 7” arrives on powerful winds on the 3rd

and 4th, another trace on the 8th. It’s always two steps forward and one back as the new 

snow settles, rots or blows away before it can fill in the ground surface texture. 

4” on the 10th, 1” on the 12th, 4” on the 13th and 3” on the 20th provide enough snow to 

keep the roads covered above the parking areas. It’s not enough to keep the 4WDs and 

ATVs out, so tempers flare as motorized and non-motorized recreationists find 

themselves in close proximity. On the positive side, the additional traffic helps pack the 

snow on the roads and keep it in place. New Year’s Eve brings the last storm of the 

Millennium and 4” of new snow, but avalanche hazard remains spotty and confined to 

cross-loaded gullies way above timberline. 

January 

The New Year’s Eve storm lingers and delivers another 19” before it’s done. Some steep 

pockets run during the storm and on test slopes immediately after, but even with the 

copious new load the surface texture provides anchoring and the lack of a smooth bedsurface holds most of the new snow in place, despite weak facets on the ground. 

A bureaucratic snafu results in the MLSAFC Avalanche Forecasters being laid off on the 

14th. The UAFC sends Forecaster Jeff Brown down from Salt Lake City to cover while 

the US Forest Service--led by Moab/Monticello District Ranger Glen Casamassa--

performs miracles to resolve the problem. What could have served as a convenient 

excuse to axe the entire program turns into a great day for the MLSAFC as the District 

commits to create a permanent seasonal position for the Lead Forecaster. 

During the administrative tempest, 5” of wet, heavy snow arrives on the 17th, ahead of a 

cold snap that finally creates a supportable base. Jeff presides over the season’s first 

off-road turns as 2” falls on the crust on the 20th. The regular staff returns to 4” on the 

21st and another 1” on the 23rd. Avalanche conditions become devious, considerable and 

widespread with the new snow load on the fragile buried slab. The straw that breaks the 

camel’s back comes with 8” of new snow on the 25th and 26th and cold temperatures that 

chew away at the new snow bond. Large natural avalanches release on virtually all 

aspects, some stepping down to the ground. Plenty of slabs remain, just itching for 

human triggers, and fortunately, noone takes the bait. The month ends with 5” more 

falling on the 30th and 31st. 

February 

Dryer air and sun arrive to begin the month, but moist, heavy clouds soon gather over 

the mountains. Unfortunately, the atmosphere is too calm to wring much snowfall from 

them.. The threatening sky finally makes good as 2” of dense snow falls on the 8th. 

Valley rain turns to 2” of mountain snow on the 10th, another 1.5” on the 11th, 8” on the 

12th and 2” on the 13th for a total of 1.5” of water equivalent. Trailhead temperatures rise 

into the 40’s and winds become persistent, strong and southerly. Clinging like a warm, 

wet towel, the relentless clouds make for poor visibility as avalanche hazard climbs to 

high, making it very difficult to track which slopes moved and which are still treacherous. 

The new snow load helps mash instabilities out of the upper snow layers, but deep-slab 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

16

instability hangs around like an unwanted house-guest. The pernicious layers are facets 

growing on the ground and around the warm January crust that allowed us to begin 

leaving the road. Old snow surfaces also begin to be a problem as the temperature 

gradients across the interfaces slowly break down the bonds, creating razor-clean 

shears of varying strengths. 

This month, Eric Trenbeath and Craig Gordon from the Salt Lake City office begin the 

first-ever weekend avalanche condition advisories for the Wasatch Plateau/Manti Skyline 

area. Local response is enthusiastic, although finding a commonly accepted name to 

refer to this large area proves to be difficult! 

The Pineapple Express lingers through the next two weeks with oddly heavy, gray skies 

and strong southerly winds that reach 88 mph. This soggy, warm flow usually means big 

snowfall for us, but this year it lacks pizzazz. We receive only 13” from the 16th to the 

18th, and another 9” on the 23rd and 24th, but this is enough to raise the snowpack depth 

to normal. Typical desert weather returns for a brief dose of dry, cold air and piercingly 

blue skies before the warm, lurking wetness returns to end the month. 

March 

Clear skies battle with the gloom as the month begins. 7” of snowfall by the 2nd, but the 

periodic sunshine bakes exposed areas into dense mush. Unstable layers persist in the 

snowpack, giving pause to anyone hoping for late winter descents of the big slide paths. 

Another 5” falls on the 5th and 6th. With continuing strong south winds, avalanche hazard 

lingers at considerable. 8” accumulates on the 7th and 8th and another 4” on the 9th. 

By mid-month, the higher sun begins to transform the snowpack to spring conditions. 

Sun crusts and corn replace settled powder and the MLSAFC moves to weekend-only 

updates as the budget gets tight and the snow pack weaknesses become stubborn to 

human triggers. A major winter storm arrives on the 20th, however, leaving 10” of dense 

snow in its wake. Avalanching begins in the new snow, and with powerful winds piling 

the heavy new snow onto steep, rocky slopes, some deep, climax avalanches release by 

the 22nd. Just like the lion and lamb March is famous for, by the 24th it’s all over and the 

desert sun-seekers emerge from the Moab Diner again. 

6” fall in menacing, stormy conditions between the 28th and 30th, wrecking the corn skiing 

but not raising the avalanche hazard significantly. The MLSAFC issues its last regular 

advisories on the weekend of the 31st. The staff dissipates to await the siren call of next 

year’s snow: Peter returns to England, Eric heads for Nepal and Faerthen takes a 

Haute-Route tour. 

The season ends with normal snow and water accumulations. With stronger than usual 

snow on the Wasatch Plateau, expanded education efforts and the responsible 

backcountry use of the La Sal Mountains, there are no avalanche fatalities nor reported 

burials on the Manti-La Sal National Forest this season--a pleasant change from the 

carnage of the past two years. 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

17

Avalanche Incidents and Accidents 

Only two people died in avalanches this season in Utah, which falls below the 5-year 

moving average for Utah of 3.4. One snowmobiler was killed in southeast Idaho near 

Montpellier, which we are including in this report because it lies within the forecast area 

of the Logan branch of the Utah Avalanche Center. 

But as usual, there were a number of close calls: A total of 43 people unintentionally 

triggered avalanches in the backcountry, 23 of these were caught in the avalanche they 

triggered, 8 were partially buried, 9 were totally buried and 3 were injured. In addition, 

there was, no doubt, many more that we did not hear about, especially in the more rural 

areas not covered by our advisories. 

Even though this sounds like a lot of people, Utah averages close to 100 unintentionally 

triggered avalanches in the backcountry each season. This season’s number of 43 is 

down for the year because the unusually warm winter kept avalanche conditions stable 

most of the winter, plus, backcountry use was probably also down because of conditions 

that more represented a maritime climate than Utah’s “Greatest Snow on Earth.” Finally, 

the winter didn’t even get going until mid January. November and December are usually 

very dangerous months in Utah but this year we skated right through them with very little 

snow. 

Nine total burials is the number that jumps out. Most total burials don’t survive, so total 

burial numbers are usually about the same as the fatalities. But this season there was a 

number of lucky breaks. Also, some of the incidents may have been reported as total 

burials but they really had a hand sticking out, which we don’t consider to be a total 

burial but it certainly feels like it to the victim and their friends, so it is often reported that 

way. With our time-constrained schedules, we usually lack the time to track down all the 

details of non-fatal accidents. 

Squaretop Fatality 

Squaretop Mountain is very dangerous backcountry avalanche terrain that borders the 

control boundary of The Canyons Resort near Park City. Skiers and snowboarders are 

free to leave the ski area boundary through access gates to travel onto public land 

surrounding the ski resorts. A married couple left their young child in day care that day 

and decided to enjoy some untracked backcountry powder. That evening, when they 

failed to pick up their child from day care, rescuers began to put the pieces together. At 

first, no one believed that they left the boundary because they stopped in to talk to the 

patrol before they left and the patrol tried to talk them out of it, citing high avalanche 

danger. When they left the patrol shack, they seemed like they had decided not to go, 

but for whatever reasons, they did. The next day an organized search team located both 

their bodies under avalanche debris after they triggered a large avalanche, both without 

beacons or shovels and both apparently skiing the slope at the same time. As in most 

avalanche fatalities, even a small amount of avalanche education would have saved 

their lives. 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

18

Fatality near Montpellier, Idaho 

Two snowmobilers were high-marking a narrow gully below a steep, wind-loaded bowl in 

the mountains west of St. Charles, Idaho. One snowmobiler got his machine stuck and 

the other came up to help him when their weight triggered the avalanche. The one who 

came up to help was able to outrun the avalanche at over 80 mph, while his fried was 

buried. Neither had beacons or shovels. The surviving snowmobiler probed using tree 

branches for about 15 minutes before going for help. An organized rescue crew found 

the body of the missing snowmobiler the following day. 

This exact setup is the common denominator in about two thirds of all snowmobile 

fatalities in the U.S. Once again, even a small amount of avalanche education would 

have saved his life: one-at-a-time, carry beacons and shovels, stay out of gullies, be 

cautious after recent snow and wind, call the avalanche advisory—all simple concepts, 

but without basic avalanche knowledge like the above two examples, eventually, there 

will be a story without a happy ending. 

Our staff puts in many hours of unpaid overtime each season just to try and reach the 

people who really need avalanche education and information. But we obviously can’t 

reach them all. 

Avalanche Fatalities in Utah 1951-2000

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

19511952195319541955195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000

Winter

Number of Fatalities

5-Year Moving Average
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

19

Date Location Details Triggered Caught

Partially 

Buried

Totally 

Buried Injured Killed

06-Jan Silver Fork Skier triggered sympathetically 2

07-Jan McDonalds Draw Skier triggered 1

08-Jan Sound of Music Skier triggered 1

10-Jan Main Porter Fork Skier triggered 1

11-Jan Square Top 2 skiers triggered large slide and killed 2 2 2 2

12-Jan Emma One 2 snowshowers caught, 1 partially buried 2 2 1

12-Jan Park City, White Pine 1 snowmobiler caught 1 1 1

12-Jan Clayton Peak Skier triggered 1

13-Jan Chalk Creek, Uintas 2 snowmobilers caught, 1 buried 2 2 1

15-Jan Superbowl, Uintas Snowmobiler triggered 2 2 2

17-Jan Silver Fork Skier triggered sympathetically 1

22-Jan Cardiff Fork Suspected skier triggered 1

24-Jan Birthday Chutes Skier triggered and caught 1

29-Jan Gobblers Knob Skier triggered 1 1

30-Jan Flagstaff Skier triggered 1

30-Jan Pink Pine Ridge Skier triggered 1

30-Jan Ben Lomond Peak Skier triggered sympathetically 1

31-Jan Chablis Bowl Skier triggered sympathetically 1

08-Feb Thousand Pks Ranch Last of 8 snowboarders triggers slide 8 1 1

12-Feb Bountiful Peak Snowmobile triggered 1 1 1

15-Feb Square Top Snowboarder triggered 1

19-Feb

Saint Charles Canyon 

- Idaho - near 

Montpellier Snowmobiler triggered and killed 2 2 1

1 

(Idaho)

25-Feb Snowbasin In-bounds skiers 1 6 4 2 2

27-Feb Snowbasin Ski patroller triggered in inbounds closure 1 1 1

04-Mar Chalk Creek, Uintas Skier triggered 1 1 1

12-Mar Snake Creek Skier triggered 1

12-Mar McDonalds Draw Skier triggered 1

16-Mar Mineral Fork Skier triggered full depth 1

18-Mar Box Elder Peak Skier triggered sympathetically 1

13-May Superior Peak Skier caught and injured in wet loose slide 1 1

Total 43 23 8 9 3 3

Incidents and Accidents 1999-2000

Note: the snowmobiler killed in southeast Idaho (near Montpilliar) is listed here as it is in the Logan Center's forecast area. These 

numbers include only unintentionally triggered avalanches. It does not include ski patrollers getting caught unless there was an 

injury, nor does it include intentionally triggered avalanches in the backcountry. 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

20

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Number of Incidents

Triggered Caught Partly Buried Totally Buried Killed

Type of Incident

Avalanche Incidents in Utah 1985-2000
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

21

Date Deaths Sex Location Activity Skier Climber

Snow

boarder

Snow

mobiler

Other

Recreation 

(snowshoe, 

hiker, 

hunter) Worker Resident

9-Mar-58 2 Males Snowbasin Rescuer 2

29-Mar-64 1 Male Snowbasin Worker 1

31-Dec-65 1 Male Park City In-bounds skier 1

12-Feb-67 2 Males Pharoah’s Glen Climbers 2

19-Feb-68 1 Male Rock Canyon Hiker 1

29-Jan-70 1 Male Alta In-bounds skier 1

29-Jan-73 1 Male Park West In-bounds skier 1

6-Jan-76 1 Male Alta Out of bounds skier 1

3-Mar-77 1 Male Snowbird In-bounds skier 1

19-Jan-79 1 Male Helper Worker 1

2-Apr-79 1 Male Lake Desolation Backcountry skier 1

11-Jan-80 1 Male Evergreen Ridge Out of bounds skier 1

1-Feb-81 1 Male Cardiff Hiker 1

1-Mar-81 1 Male Millcreek Backcountry skier 1

22-Mar-82 1 Male near Park West Backcountry skier 1

2-Jan-84 1 Male Superior Peak Backcountry skier 1

22-Feb-85 1 Male Near Powder Mountain Backcountry skier 1

19-Mar-85 1 Female Park City In-bounds wet slide 1

13-Nov-85 2 Males Sunset Peak Backcountry skiers 2

6-Jan-86 1 Male Provo Canyon Backcountry skier 1

17-Feb-86 1 Male Big Cottonwood Canyon Backcountry snowboarder 1

19-Feb-86 1 Male Alta In bounds skier 1

20-Nov-86 1 Male Sugarloaf, Alta Hiker in unopened area 1

15-Feb-87 1 Male Twin Lakes Reservoir Backcountry skier 1

25-Nov-89 1 Male Tony Grove Lake, Logan Backcountry skier 1

12-Feb-92 4 3-M/1-F Gold Basin, La Sal Mtns Backcountry vskiers 4

1-Apr-92 1 Male Mineral Basin, near Snowbird Backcountry skier 1

16-Jan-93 1 Male Sundance (closed area) Backcountry skier 1

25-Feb-93 1 Male Pinecrest, Emig. Cyn. Backcountry skier 1

3-Apr-93 1 Male Wolverine Cirque Backcountry skier 1

18-Feb-94 1 Male 10,420 Peak, B.C.C. Backcountry skier 1

7-Nov-94 1 Male Snowbird (pre-season) Backcountry skier 1

14-Jan-95 2 Males Ben Lomond, near Ogden Snowmobilers 2

23-Jan-95 1 Male Midway Resident killed in roof slide 1

12-Feb-95 1 Male Gobbler’s Knob, B.C.C. Backcountry skier 1

2-Feb-96 1 Male Solitude patroller Worker 1

27-Mar-96 1 Male Maybird Gulch, L.C.C. Backcountry skier 1

7-Dec-96 1 Male Bountiful Peak Snowmobiler 1

26-Dec-96 1 Male Flagstaff Peak Backcountry snowboarder 1

11-Jan-97 3 Males Logan Peak Three campers 3

25-Jan-97 1 Male Provo Canyon Climber 1

17-Jan-98 1 Male Near Coleville Snowmobiler 1

18-Jan-98 1 Male Sanpete County Snowmobiler 1

26-Feb-98 1 Male Near Weber State hiker (possible suicide) 1

7-Nov-98 1 Male Snowbird (pre-season) Snowboarder 1

2-Jan-99 2 Males Wasatch Plateau Snowboarders 2

29-Jan-99 1 Male Mt. Nebo Snowmobiler 1

6-Feb-99 1 Male Little Willow Canyon Hiker 1

11-Jan-00 2 M/F Squaretop Skiers 2

Total 60 1958 season - Present 32 3 5 6 8 5 1

1990 season - Present 15 1 5 5 5 1 1

Shaded areas indicate greatest concentration of fatalities. 1995 season - Present 5 1 5 6 5 1 1

 56 Males, 2 Females

Avalanche Fatalities in Utah 1958-2000 - By Activity
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

22

Season (year 

ending) Triggered Caught

Partly 

Buried

Totally 

Buried Killed

1951 0

1952 0

1953 0

1954 0

1955 0

1956 0

1957 0

1958 2

1959 0

1960 0

1961 0

1962 0

1963 0

1964 1

1965 0

1966 1

1967 2

1968 1

1969 0

1970 1

1971 0

1972 0

1973 1

1974 0

1975 0

1976 1

1977 1

1978 0

1979 2

1980 1

1981 2

1982 1

1983 0

1984 1

1985 79 39 15 6 3

1986 66 27 12 5 5

1987 50 18 6 3 2

1988 39 6 1 1 0

1989 64 9 1 0 0

1990 65 34 14 2 0

1991 46 19 7 1 0

1992 76 27 14 9 5

1993 65 29 9 5 3

1994 74 42 5 3 1

1995 79 31 7 9 5

1996 51 15 3 2 2

1997 84 62 37 9 6

1998 96 57 17 8 3

1999 68 48 19 7 5

2000 42 22 8 9 2

present 60

present 1044 485 175 79 42

1985-2000 average fatalities per year 2.6

1990-2000 average fatalities per year 2.9

1995-2000 average fatalities per year 3.8

Avalanche Incidents in Utah 1951-Present
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

23

198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000

Total 

1986-

2000

Total 

1990-

2000

Total

1995-

2000

Average 

1986-

2000

Average 

1990-

2000

Average 

1995-

2000

Snowmobilers 0 2 0 0 1 2 2 2 9 7 5 6 14 12 5 67 65 49 4.5 5.9 8.2

Climbers 262003732696310 50 40 25 3.3 3.6 4.2

Backcountry Skiers 726222792760039 64 47 25 4.3 4.3 4.2

Out of Bounds Skiers 180230450010123 30 19 7 2.0 1.7 1.2

In Bounds Skiers 200000000000000 2 0 0 0.1 0.0 0.0

Backcountry 

Snowboarders 100010020131471 21 20 17 1.4 1.8 2.8

Out of Bounds 

Snowboarders 000000010210030 7 7 6 0.5 0.6 1.0

Misc Recreation 030011240127442 31 28 20 2.1 2.5 3.3

Patrollers 200100010110000 6 3 2 0.4 0.3 0.3

Motorists/Highway 

workers 000000110100001 4 4 2 0.3 0.4 0.3

Residents 100100000210001 6 4 4 0.4 0.4 0.7

Others at work 100000110012010 7 6 4 0.5 0.5 0.7

Total 17 21 8 6 8 8 24 29 13 28 30 22 26 33 22 295 243 161 19.7 22.1 26.8 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000

Total 

1986-

2000

Total 

1990-

2000

Total

1995-

2000

Average 

1986-

2000

Average 

1990-

2000

Average 

1995-

2000

Snowmobilers 0 2 0 0 1 2 2 2 9 7 5 6 14 12 5 67 65 49 4.5 5.9 8.2

Climbers 262003732696310 50 40 25 3.3 3.6 4.2

Skiers 10 10 6 4 5 2 11 14 2 7 7 0 1 5 12 96 66 32 6.4 6.0 5.3

Snowboarders 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 3 4 1 4 10 1 28 27 23 1.9 2.5 3.8

Misc Recreation 030011240127442 31 28 20 2.1 2.5 3.3

Others at work 100000110012010 7 6 4 0.5 0.5 0.7

Residents 100100000210001 6 4 4 0.4 0.4 0.7

Patrollers 200100010110000 6 3 2 0.4 0.3 0.3

Motorists/Highway 

workers 000000110100001 4 4 2 0.3 0.4 0.3

Total 17 21 8 6 8 8 24 29 13 28 30 22 26 33 22 295 243 161 19.7 22.1 26.8

Activity (detailed catagories)

Activity (condensed catagories)

U.S. Avalanche Fatalities by Activity
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

24

Date Location Number State User Group Description

11/26/99 Big Sky 1 MT Skier

2 skiers caught, 1 buried and 

killed before area opened

12/14/99 Cameron Pass 1 CO Skier 1 skier caught, buried and killed

12/18/99 West of Eldora, CO 1 CO Hiker

Missing hiker suspected killed in 

avalanche

12/21/99 Quandary Peak 1 CO Skier

1 skier caught, partly caught, 

buried and killed

12/26/99

Hatcher Pass, in the Talkeetna 

Mountains 1 AK Snowmobiler

1 snowmobiler caught, buried 

and killed

1/11/00

Squaretop Mountain near Park 

City 2 UT Skiers

Husband and wife, out of bounds 

skiers caught, buried and killed in 

large avalanche

1/16/00 Crystal Mountain 1 WA Skier

2 skiers in closed area, 1 buried 

and killed

1/23/00 Jones Pass, West of Empire 1 CO Snowshoer

3 snowshoers caught, buried, 1 

killed

1/25/00 near Arapahoe Basin 1 CO Snowboarder

Backcountry snowboarder 

caught, buried and killed

1/25/00 Hurricane Gulch, near Aspen 1 CO Skier

Backcountry skier caught, buried 

and killed

1/26/00 Cordova 1 AK Residents

3 houses destroyed, 3 persons 

hit, 1 killed

2/1/00

Seward Highway, south of 

Anchorage 1 AK Worker

3 Bulldozer operators clearing 

road caught, one killed

2/19/00

St. Charles Canyon near Bear 

Lake 1 ID Snowmobiler

2 snowmobilers caught, 1 buried 

and killed

2/19/00

Wright Peak, in the Adirondack 

High Peaks 1 NY Skier

6 skiers caught, 5 injured, 1 

buried and killed

2/20/00

Mount Washington; Gulf of 

Slides Area 1 NH Skier

2 skiers caught, 1 buried and 

killed

3/18/00 Maroon Creek, near Aspen 2 CO Skier

3 Skiers caught, 2 buried, and 

killed

3/19/00

Selkirk Mountains west of 

Bonners Ferry 1 ID Snowmobiler

1 snowmobiler caught, buried 

and killed

3/22/00

Gildart Peak, Swan Range in 

NW Montana 1 MT Snowmobiler

1 snowmobiler caught, not buried 

and killed

4/8/00 Summit Lake near Pason 1 AK Snowmobiler

1 snowmobiler caught, buried 

and killed

4/8/00 Talkeetna Mountains 1 AK Skier

1 backcountry skier caught, 

buried and killed

Total 22

State Number Activity Number

Colorado 8 Skier 12

Alaska 5 Snowmobiler 5

Utah 2 Snowboarder 1

Idaho 2 Snowshoer 1

Montana 2 Hiker 1

New Hampshire 1 Resident 1

New York 1 Worker 1

Washington 1

U.S. Avalanche Fatalities 1999-2000

As of May, 2000
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

25

U.S. Avalanche Fatalities 1950-2000

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

19511952195319541955195619571958195919601961196219631964196519661967196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000

Winter

Number of Fatalities

5-Year Moving Average 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

26

U.S. Avalanche Fatalities by Type

1995-2000

159 Total Fatalities

Snowmobilers

Climbers

Skiers

Snowboarders

Misc Recreation

Others at work

Residents

Patrollers

Motorists/Highway workers

U.S. Snowmobile Avalanche Fatalities by Year 

1968-2000

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

196819691970197119721973197419751976197719781979198019811982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000

Winter

Number of Fatalities

5-Year Moving Average 

Snowmobilers account for about twice as many fatalities as the any other activity. 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

27

Avalanche Fatalities by State 1995-2000

CO

AK

UT

MT

WA

WY

ID

CA

OR

NV

NH

NY

AZ

NM

Utah usually ranks near Alaska for the second place behind Colorado in the dubious race for 

avalanche fatalities. In the 1998-99 season, Alaska had 12 fatalities which put Utah firmly in third 

place. 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

28

Avalanche Fatalities by Country - 1992-99

France

Austria

U.S.A.

Switzerland

Italy

Canada

Norway

Spain

Germany

Before last winter, the U.S. ranked second only to France. During the 1998-99 season, Europe had 

an unprecedented avalanche cycle in which many dozens of people were killed. 

World Avalanche Fatalities 1976-98

125

153

185

148

133

153

138

149

174

224

204

123

150

78

100

192

99

146

110

140

170

146 138

209

0

50

100

150

200

250

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

Winter

Number of Fatalities

Worldwide, avalanche fatalities have remained relatively stable, while in the U.S. the numbers have 

been rising rapidly.
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

29

Avalanche Education 

Back in the old days...avalanche education was simple. There was only three people 

working at the Utah Avalanche Center, of which two of us taught about two thirds of the 

avalanche classes in Utah, and virtually all of those classes were for backcountry skiers. 

What a difference fifteen years makes. Nowadays the Utah Avalanche Center has 

eleven staff spread throughout the state from Logan to Moab and we teach about 50 

classes per year to snowmobilers, skiers, climbers, snowboarders, snowshoers, search 

and rescue groups, ski patrollers and Boy Scout troops. 

The public has an insatiable thirst for avalanches and avalanche classes, and even with 

so many of us, demands for classes always outpace our capacity to teach them. Good 

avalanche instructors have always been hard to find, but through example, more and 

more novice instructors have learned from the recognized experts and it seems that 

suddenly there are quite a few good instructors around. All these years of teaching 

avalanche classes has begun to pay off. Like compounding interest, with some patience 

and hard work, good things tend to grow through time. 

We feel that avalanche education is an important part of our business, but we must 

always remember that it’s not our primary business. Job number one is to issue high 

quality avalanche advisories and mountain weather forecasts. In all of our “spare time” 

we teach avalanche classes. Yet we found time for over 50 classes this year. Many of 

these were taught on unpaid overtime with late nights driving back from distant places. 

This season we were able to make a quantum leap in education. Thanks to a grant from 

the National Recreation Trails Program, were able to hire two excellent avalanche 

teachers, Craig Gordon and Eric Trenbeath, who concentrated on avalanche education 

for snowmobilers. Together they taught 18 classes to snowmobile groups reaching 556 

people—quite good for their first year of doing snowmobiler outreach. 

Snowmobilers are the new kids on the avalanche block. The sudden advances in 

snowmobile power, weight reduction and traction systems have allowed snowmobiles to 

access dangerous avalanche terrain right after storms and go virtually any place a skier 

can go. Plus, a snowmobile can cover 100 times the amount of terrain as a skier. So 

it’s no wonder why snowmobilers account for nearly half the avalanche fatalities each 

season in the U.S. 

However, the “avalanche culture” has traditionally grown up around skiing and climbing, 

and most of the technology and innovations come from Europe where snowmobiles are 

not allowed. Therefore, it has often been difficult transfer avalanche knowledge and 

technology into the snowmobile community. Craig and Eric have done a good job of 

bringing avalanche knowledge into a new community—a community that desperately 

needs the knowledge. 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

30

Date Staff Location / Group Course

No. 

people

11/10/1999 Shaw Black Dimmond, Ogden Avi Awareness 30

11/11/1999 Shaw Black Dimmond, Salt Lake City Avi Awareness 50

11/16/1999 Staff REI Salt Lake City Avi Awareness 150

11/17/1999 Jenkins/Hebertson Snowbasin Ski Patrol Level I Refresher 40

11/20/1999 F.Felix CEU Price/UDOT plow drivers Avi Awareness 40

11/20/1999 Gordon / Trenbeath Price Safety Fair Avi Awareness 30

11/23/1999 Brown Dear Valley Avi Awareness 45

12/03/1999 Shaw Wasatch Touring Avi Awareness 8

12/06/1999 Gordon Kamas High School Snowmobile Club Avi Awareness 12

12/08/1999 Tremper Wasatch Mountain Club class Avi Awareness 70

12/10/1999 Jenkins PC Ski Patrol - Summit Co SAR Level I Refresher 10

12/13/2000 Gordon Coalville Middle School Snowmobile Club Avi Awareness 71

12/14/1999 Staff REI Avi Awareness 200

12/14/1999 Kimbrough American Avalanche Institute Level II 20

12/15/2000 Jenkins Cache Valley Highmarkers Avi Awareness 40

12/16/1999 Jenkins Pebble Creek Ski Patrol refresher Level I Refresher 10

12/17/2000 Jenkins Level I, Canyons Ski Patrol Level I Refresher 16

01/04/2000 Tremper REI Salt Lake City Level II 200

01/08/2000 Tremper Utah County SAR Avi Awareness 70

01/11/2000 Kimbrough Tibble Fork/Plesant Grove/Timp Cave Avi Awareness 20

01/11/2000 Tremper National Avalanche School Phase II Phase II field session 35

01/11/2000 Trenbeath Montecello Ranger District Avi Awareness 22

01/11/2000 F.Felix Telluride, CO/Telluride Avalanche School Level I 45

01/12/2000

Gordon American Fork Timp Runners Snowmobile 

Club

Avi Awareness 35

01/13/2000 Lees / Greene University of Utah, Snow Hydrology Snow Science 30

01/14/2000 Brown Moab Avi Awareness 18

01/14/2000 E. Trenbeath Monticello/USFS Avi Awareness 20

01/15/2000 Gordon / Tremper Summit County SAR Avi Awareness 40

01/15/2000 F.Felix, J.Brown, 

E.Trenbeath

Moab/Moab Info Center Avi Awareness 19

01/15/2000 Trenbeath Geyser Pass Trailhead - private group Avi Awareness 14

01/16/2000 Gordon Summit County SAR field session Level I 17

01/20/2000 Jenkins/Logan/Hardesty Level I, Logan area open enrollment Level I 19

01/21/2000 Tremper U of U Geography Dept Snow Science 35

01/21/2000 Gordon

Requested by a group involved in large 

slide and a group lost in Uinta Mountains Avi Awareness 27

01/15/2000 Jenkins/Hardesty Level II Weber Co. SAR Level II 35

01/25/2000 Gordon Midway Boy Scout group Avi Awareness 79

01/26/2000 Gordon Carbon County Recreation Avi Awareness 54

01/26/2000 Jenkins Ellis Elementary 5th graders Avi Awareness 60

01/26/2000 F.Felix, J.Brown, 

E.Trenbeath

Moab/GPTH Level I 14

Avalanche Education 1999-2000
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

31

01/28/2000 Greene Silverton Avalanche School Level 1 Level I 200

01/28/2000 F.Felix Silverton, CO/Silverton Avalanche School Level I 67

01/29/2000 E.Trenbeath Mt.Pleasant/Skyline Snowriders Avi Awareness 10

02/04/2000 E.Trenbeath Spring City Canyon/Sanpete SAR Avi Awareness 22

02/05/2000 Tremper/Jenkins National Ski Patrol 4-day "Rocker" course 60

02/05/2000 E.Trenbeath Castledale/Emery Co. SAR Level I 44

02/06/2000 Gordon Brighton Ski Resort Refresher 41

02/20/2000 Jenkins/Hardesty Level I Logan area open enrollment Level I 7

02/21/2000 E.Trenbeath Miller Flat Trailhead/Carbon County SAR, 

State Parks Rangers

Level I 12

03/01/2000 Tremper National Snow Rangers Workshop Olympic Avalanche 50

01/15-17/2000 Staff

Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast 

Center, Level I 3-day Level I 30

01-08-00 01-

09-00

F.Felix Price/Pacificorp Safety Fair Avi Awareness 30

01-28-00 01-

30-00

F.Felix, P.Hawkins Price/Carbon County Rec Avi Awareness 54

02/19-21/2000 Brown Alaska Mountain Safety Center 3-day Level I 30

03/07/2000 Jenkins Beaver Mountain Avi Awareness 25

05/17/2000 Tremper

Youth group at National Weather Service 

office Avi Awareness 10

Total People 2442

Total Talks 54
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

32

Media 

The national and local media continued its fascination with avalanches. National 

television documentaries about avalanches continued to play on the Discovery Channel 

TBS (National Geographic) and PBS. Most of these documentaries feature Utah 

Avalanche Center staff, all portrayed in a very positive light. In addition, Bruce Tremper 

was interviewed this season for yet another national TV avalanche documentary for the 

Discovery Channel and was the featured guest of the hour-long NPR radio program 

“Talk of the Nation” and Ethan Greene was interviewed by NPR’s “The Savvy Traveler.” 

The UAC staff logged 56 media contacts which include one national television interview, 

fourteen national television requests for information, two national radio interviews, 

seventeen national print interviews, five local television interviews, six local radio 

interviews and eleven local print interviews. 

Date Staff Agency Subject

Naional 

Television 

Interview

National 

Television 

Information 

requests

National 

Radio 

Interviews

National 

Print 

Media

Local 

Television 

Interviews

Local 

Radio 

Interviews

Local Print 

Interviews

07/12/1999 Tremper Warren Miller 

Entertainment

Making avalanche documentary 

for Discovery Channel - wanted 

information

1

07/12/1999 Tremper Atlantic Monthly Impact of Olympic Games 1

08/12/1999 Tremper Backcountry Magazine List of avalanche classes 1

08/12/1999 Tremper National Geographic 

Television

Looking for accidents with 

happy endings 1

08/19/1999 Tremper Outside Magazine Interview about outdoor careers 1

09/09/1999 Tremper Discovery Channel - 

Grenada TV Wanted photos for book 1

09/12/1999 Tremper KCPW Interview about fundraiser 1

09/12/1999 Tremper KDYL Interview about fundraiser 1

09/20/1999 Tremper Rock 99 Radio Interview about fundraiser 1

09/29/1999 Tremper Salt Lake Tribune Interview about snowmobiles 1

10/13/1999 Tremper Park City Record Wanted photos for article 1

10/15/1999 Tremper Discover Magazine Interview about avalanche 

fatalities last season 1

11/01/1999 Felix

Sport’s Guide (UT); 

Rocky Mt. Sports (CO); 

Sports, Etc.; Windy 

City Sports (IL); Metro 

Sports; Twin City 

Sports (MN)

Avalanche Awareness 5

11/05/1999 Lees PC Local TV Preseason Avalanche 

Information 1

11/10/1999 Tremper Discovery Channel - 

Grenada TV 

Questions about buildings in 

avalanche paths 1

11/18/1999 Tremper Outside Magazine Tips on how to stay alive in 

avalanche terrain 1

11/23/1999 Tremper Outside Magazine Olympics and avalanches 1

11/28/1999 F.Felix Moab Happenings 

(Dec)

La Sal Mts.Winter Recreation; 

Avalanche Awareness 1

12/03/1999 Tremper National Geographic - 

Grenada TV Information on avalanches 1

12/03/1999 Trenbeath

Hawkins Brochure Rack Card Snowmobile-Specific Avalanche Awareness 1

12/05/1999 Brown Standard Examiner Building snow caves 1

12/06/1999 Shaw National Geographic 

Adventure Avalanche Facts 1

12/06/1999 Tremper Outside Magazine Information of Forest Service 

funding of avalanche centers 1

UAC Media Contacts 1999-2000
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

33
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

34

12/08/1999 Tremper Outside Magazine

Wanted information on 

helicopter controversy. 

Declined to be interviewed but 

gave him list of others to 

interview.

1

12/10/1999 Tremper Discovery Channel - 

How To Survive Wanted avalanche footage 1

12/15/1999 Shaw KPCW Avalanche conditions 1

12/20/1999 Tremper Discovery Channel Wanted avalanche footage 1

12/20/1999 Felix Channel 6 Television New LSAFC Season 1

12/30/1999 Felix Moab Happenings 

(Jan)

La Sal Mts.Winter Recreation; 

Avalanche Awareness 1

01/10/2000 Tremper Pacic Coast Video Wanted avalanche footage 1

01/12/2000 Greene Channel 4 TV News Square Top avalanche accident 1

01/12/2000 Greene Fox TV News Square Top avalanche accident 1

01/12/2000 Greene Salt Lake Tribune Square Top avalanche accident 1

01/12/2000 Greene KPCW Square Top avalanche accident 1

01/13/2000 Greene Fox TV News Search in the Uinta Mtns 1

01/14/2000 Tremper Discovery Channel Interview in field 1

01/17/2000 Trenbeath Sanpete Valley Radio Avalanche Awareness; Wasatch 

Plateau Advisories 1

01/21/2000 Tremper Environmental News 

Network Questions about avalanches 1

01/24/2000 Tremper Pacific Coast Video Wanted locations to shoot 

avalanches in motion 1

01/24/2000 Tremper NBC Stastics on largest avalanche 

diaster in recent years 1

01/29/2000 Tremper Wasatch Wave 

Magazine Information on avalanches 1

02/03/2000 Tremper

Learning Channel - 

Vantage Point 

Productions

Looking for avalanche footage 

for educational program 1

02/09/2000 Greene Savvy Traveler Avalanche information 1

02/12/2000 Tremper Inside Tracks 

Magazine Avalanche information 1

02/15/2000 Shaw Tooele Transcript Avalanche conditions 1

02/22/2000 Tremper NPR Talk of the Nation Hour interview on avalanches 1

02/23/2000 Shaw Inside Tracks 

Magazine Avalanche information 1

02/24/2000 Tremper National Geographic Checking information for script 1

02/26/2000 Tremper CBS TV Information about avalnaches 1

02/28/2000 Brown Standard Examiner Snowbaisn incident 1

03/06/2000 Tremper Fox TV Information about avalnaches 1

03/07/2000 Shaw Grant W. Avalanche warning for S Utah 1

Total 1 14 2 17 5 6 11

 Total Contacts 56
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

35

Budget 

Like all avalanche centers in the U.S., demands for services greatly outpace the funding 

to provide the services. Therefore, we all spend much more time than we would like 

looking for money. The Utah Avalanche Center is the epitome of a successful 

partnership between the Forest Service and other funding partners such as State, 

County, private funds and grants. For instance, in the Wasatch, only about 20 percent 

(one fifth) of the funding comes from base Forest Service operating funds. 

A private, non-profit group called the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center 

raises about $40,000 each season. About half of that money is donated to the Forest 

Service to pay for forecaster salaries and the Friends of UAFC spend the rest outside 

the Forest Service on observers, avalanche education and equipment. The FUAFC 

raises money through an annual fundraising party, a ski swap, video sales, avalanche 

classes, sponsorships and soliciting donations. We are lucky to have such a hardworking and dedicated board. Many thanks to Colleen Graham, Katherine Bloss, Mark 

Holbrook, Peter Donner, Karen Kelly, Nancy King, Wendy Zeigler, Al Soucie, Brad 

Barber, Ted Wilson and all the volunteers who help during the fundraisers. 

The Utah Avalanche Center also receives about 20,000 per year from the Forest Service 

2002 Planning Team, which is preparing for the 2002 Olympic Games. UAC CoDirector, Bruce Tremper works full doing Olympic avalanche related work. All of the 

Olympic avalanche projects will directly benefit the Utah Avalanche Center (see section 

on Olympics). 

The Logan center operates completely outside the Forest Service and is funded and 

housed by Utah State University with support from a grant from private funds from 

FUAFC. The Logan Ranger District supplies housing during winter months for one 

forecaster. 

Future: 

Doug Abromeit and Karl Birkeland of the Forest Service National Avalanche Center are 

working hard to organize avalanche centers and increase Forest Service funding for all 

avalanche centers. But this will not likely happen before next season. In the mean time, 

the American Association of Avalanche Professionals (AAAP) is making a concerted 

effort at fundraising from private sources on a national level and has recently agreed to 

serve as a national “Friends of” organization for avalanche centers. Utah Avalanche 

Center seasonal forecaster Jeff Brown, has been recently elected as the Executive 

Director of AAAP and will head up AAAP fundraising efforts. 

Our heads are constantly swimming with great ideas for better ways to communicate 

critical avalanche information to the public, better and more avalanche education and 

expanded coverage. All it takes is time and money.
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

36

Wasatch (Ogden, Salt Lake, Park City, Provo)

Where the Money Comes From 

Forest Service Base Operating Funds 28,000

State of Utah Comprehensive Emerg. Mgt. 25,000

Forest Service 2002 Funds 21,000

FUAFC donated to FS 20,000

FUAFC outside of FS 20,000

Salt Lake County 20,000

National Recreation Trails Program 8,000

Total Wasatch 142,000

Where The Money Goes

Forest Service Expenditures FUAFC Expenditures

Staff Salary and Benefits 99,000

FUAFC Direct Expenditures (independent of 

Forest Service) 20,000

Telephones 7,510

Equipment and Supplies 4,500

Travel 4,000

Printing 2,000

Stickers and Posters 2,000

Observers 1,002

Contract Computer Programming 1,000

Training 1,000

Total Forest Service Expenditures 122,012 20,000

Total Wasatch Expenditures 142,012
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

37

Wasatch 

Where the Money Goes

Staff Salary and 

Benefits

Telephones

Equipment and Supplies

Travel 

Printing

Stickers and Posters

Observers

Contract Computer 

Programming

Training

Wasatch 

Where the Money Comes From

$142,000 Total

Forest Service Base 

Operating Funds

State of Utah 

Comprehensive Emerg. 

Mgt.

Forest Service 2002 

Funds

FUAFC donated to FS

FUAFC outside of FS

Salt Lake County

National Recreation 

Trails Program
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

38

La Sal Budget

Where the Money Comes From

Manti La Sal National Forest 13170

Friends of LSAFC 670

Total 13840

Where the Money Goes

Salary 11158

Travel 1047

Computer 612

Supplies 1023

Total 13840

La Sal 

Where the Money Comes From

Manti La Sal 

National Forest

Friends of LSAFC

La Sal 

Where the Money Goes

Salary

Travel

Computer

Supplies
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

39

Logan Avalanche Center (Wellsville and Bear River Ranges and southeast Idaho)

Where the Money Comes From 

FUAFC * Utah State University

FUAFC (Salt Lake Chapter) 6,000 USU Salary Release for Mike Jenkins 10,000

Utah State University 3,810

13,810

Total Logan budget 19,810

Where The Money Goes

Utah State University Expenditures

Salary for Mike Jenkins 10,000

Salary for Drew Hardesty and Spencer Logan 8,000

Telephone 210

Meetings 700

Supplies 900

Subtotal 19,810

Total Logan Expenditures 19,810

* FUAFC = Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center, a private, non-profit group

Logan 

Where the Money Goes

Salary for Mike 

Salary for Drew Jenkins

Hardesty and 

Spencer Logan

Telephone

Meetings

Supplies

Logan 

Where the Money Comes From

Friends of UAFC

Utah State 

University
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

40

Avalanches and the Olympics 

The coming Olympic Games in February of 2002 are now just a year and a half away. 

It’s coming down to crunch time. For the past three seasons, we have been doing 

Olympic planning and development, and this past season we have put at least some of 

the infrastructure in place. Olympic planning and development has taken place thanks 

to an extra $70,000 per season from the Forest Service 2002 Planning Team. This past 

season, UAC Co-Director has been working nearly full time on Olympic avalanche 

planning and development and will most likely work full time on Olympic avalancherelated issues for the next two seasons. These are some of the many projects we have 

accomplished so far: 

Increased staffing for the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center 

This season, Evelyn Lees was hired as the co-director of the UAC on a term position 

that will expire after the Olympic Games. She has taken over much of the da-to-day 

operations of the UAC, which frees up Bruce Tremper to spend most of his time on 

Olympic-related issues. Since Evelyn’s salary is covered by Olympic dollars it has 

allowed us to add another two seasonal forecasters, Ethan Greene and Jeff Brown. 

Avalanche forecasting is a very complex job which requires at least a couple years of 

on-the-job training before a new hire feels comfortable operating in an unsupervised 

environment. 

Provo Canyon Weather Station 

A new weather station has been installed in Davis Canyon, which is one canyon east of 

Bridal Veil in Provo Canyon. It sits in a wind-protected flat clearing in thick trees at about 

8500’ directly between two large avalanche paths. It should be an excellent site to 

monitor snow conditions in the Cascade Ridge massif. 

Swiss Snowpack Evolution Model

The data from the Provo Canyon weather station along with data from two other similarly 

configured sites at Snowbasin will drive a Swiss snowpack evolution computer model so 

that forecasters can graphically see the evolution of the snowpack in a remote location. 

After a season or two of testing at Snowbasin, the weather stations will be moved to 

remote locations for 2002. This season, Karl Birkeland from the Forest Service National 

Avalanche Center, along with Martin Gassner from the Swiss Institute of Snow and 

Avalanche Research are testing the model with data from Snowbasin as well as from 

Provo Canyon. 

The weather stations and the Swiss model are a partnership between the Forest Service 

National Avalanche Center, the Swiss Institute of Snow and Avalanche Research, Salt 

Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) Utah Department of Transportation, Sundance 

Resort, Snowbasin and Wasatch Powderbird Guides (who provided the helicopter 

transportation for the installation and maintenance). 

Web Site Development: 

We made major improvements to the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center web site and the 

Avalanche.org web site and will continue development up until 2002. We want to 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

41

provide the public with several levels of avalanche information as far as detail and 

complexity, and create a simpler, easily understood visual interface. These changes 

should be in place by the fall of 2000. Developments include: 

An icon-based display will communicate the type of avalanche conditions to the public in 

a graphical, easily understood way. 

A GIS display of avalanche terrain and avalanche data will graphically display avalanche 

terrain and the danger ratings for various kinds of terrain. Faerthen Felix, of the La Sal 

Avalanche Center initiated this project and continues its development this summer. 

A revamped web page will display the text of the avalanche advisory along side the iconbased display and the GIS maps. 

We have added a media packet of basic avalanche facts and frequently asked 

questions. We hope this will lead to more accurate avalanche stories by the media, as 

well as save us considerable time in answering questions. 

We are installing an automated e-mail server so that the public can sign up for 

automated e-mails of the advisory or mountain weather forecast and we are installing a 

fax program to fax our products to local shops, hotels and resorts. 

Avalanche Terrain Mapping: 

Bruce Tremper has mapped avalanche terrain around venues periphery and buffer 

zones and assisted snow safety personnel from venues to map avalanche terrain within 

venues. Both SLOC and the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command can use these maps 

to establish boundaries and coordinate law enforcement patrols of venue perimeters. 

Media: 

We have compiled video footage of potential avalanche related stories for NBC and 

other media. We sent a CD ROM of Forest Service Olympic related stories to NBC 

including avalanche stories. We have updated a written media packet and is currently 

available at www.avalanche.org. 

Swiss Nearest Neighbors Computer Model: 

In a partnership with the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos, 

Switzerland, the Forest Service National Avalanche Center has installed a “nearest 

neighbors” computer model at Snowbasin. This computer model searches all past snow 

and weather records to find past days that closely match current conditions. By 

displaying the avalanche activity from similar days in the past, forecasters can better 

anticipate current avalanche conditions. It is quite a sophisticated model that has been 

widely implemented in Europe. After testing for a season at Snowbasin, with sufficient 

funding, we will implement the model for the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center. Karl 

Birkeland, of the Forest Service National Avalanche Center is overseeing this project. 

Display of Automated Weather Stations: 

We continue to partner with the National Weather Service and the University of Utah 

Cooperative Institute for Regional Prediction in developing a comprehensive display of 

automated weather stations in the Intermountain West. This “mesonet” is a very 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

42

powerful tool to track and database weather information for a variety of professionals 

and the public at www.met.utah.edu. 

We have also installed a sophisticated computer program by Randy Trover to display, 

graph and database automated weather data and SNOTEL data on computer screens at 

the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center offices. Much of the graphical display from 

this program will be available on the Internet for use by the public, Olympic visitors and 

Olympic workers. 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

43

Example of an Avalanche Advisory 

Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center / National Weather Service 

In partnership with: 

Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center, Utah Department of Public Safety Division of Comprehensive Emergency 

Management, Salt Lake County, Utah State Parks

Avalanche advisory 

TUESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2000, 7:30 AM 

Good morning. This is Seth Shaw with the Forest Service Utah Avalanche Forecast Center with 

your backcountry avalanche and mountain weather advisory. Today is Tuesday, January 11, and 

its 7:30 in the morning. This forecast is sponsored by a generous donation to the Friends of the 

Utah Avalanche Forecast Center by Kirkhams, where you can always rent before you buy. 

Check out their wide selection of ski, snowshoe, and safety equipment at 3125 S State in SLC. 

Current Conditions: 

Last night the mountain picked up a few more inches of dense snow and the winds continued to 

blow hard out of the WSW, around 30 to 40 mph. In the past 24 hours most mountain locations 

received 6 to 12 inches of 12 % to 18 % density snow, in many places the first half of that snow 

was graupel with denser snow falling on top of it. In the past 10 days the Alta guard station has 

received over 5 inches of water equivalent. Id say we are getting close to a major avalanche 

cycle. 

Avalanche Conditions: 

Ill start with some of the avalanches I know about. Starting in south, there were several slides to 

the ground on the NW face of Spanish Fork Peak in the Provo mountains. The largest of these 

was reported to be 400 feet wide. The starting zone was near the ridge at around 10,000. Near 

Sundance at a lowly 6,300 on a north aspect, a 200 wide slab spontaneously broke out on wet 

facets on the ground, it sympathetically pulled out another slide 150 away. In the Ogden 

Mountains at a closed ski resort a snowcat triggered a slide 3 to 5 feet deep to the ground on a 

ENE aspect, the slope angle was a measly 33 degrees. 

There were numerous human triggered and natural avalanches in the Salt Lake and Park Cityarea mountains yesterday. These have been mostly new wind slabs from one to three feet deep. 

The weak layers out there read like a chapter out of an avalanche text. You got your wind slabs, 

graupel layers, density inversions, buried surface facets, rain and rime crusts, and last but 

certainly not least, depth hoar trying to support this whole wobbly mess. Oh yeah, and rapid 

warming could be a player today, especially at lower elevations. Don’t be the straw that breaks 

the poor beasts back. As always, recent avalanches or cracking and collapsing of the snowpack 

are sure signs of instability. 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

44

The only way to be certain to avoid the avalanche dragon in the backcountry today is to stay on 

slopes 30 degrees or less steep. Wind sheltered slopes will be much safer than wind deposited 

slopes. Wind scoured slopes will be the safest. Also be aware of the slope angle 

above you and on adjacent slopes. It will be possible to trigger a steeper slope from low angle 

terrain and if it goes to the ground it could pull the low angle slope with it. 

In general west facing slopes will be wind scoured and east facing slopes will be wind deposited 

but you will need to judge each slope individually. 

Now that I’ve painted a grim picture, I should retract a little bit. I think most of the human triggered 

activity in the Salt Lake area mountains today will be newly formed wind slabs or on the graupel 

layer that fell yesterday and will require a slope of 35 degrees or steeper to get it to move. 

Personally though, I would stay off the steep stuff for fear of the deep slab, especially outside of 

Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons where the underlying snowpack is weaker. 

Bottom Line: 

Today there is a High danger of human triggered avalanches on wind loaded slopes 35 degrees 

and steeper, that means both human triggered and natural avalanches are likely. There is a 

moderate hazard on steep wind sheltered slopes, meaning that human triggered slides will be 

possible. Be on the lookout for cross loading around sub ridges and gullies and in unusual places 

including loading down off the ridges. 

Weather: 

Continued strong WSW winds with light snowfall, gusts will be in the 50s on higher ridges. The 

mountains should pick up a few inches of snow today, mostly this afternoon. Tonight it should 

snow another 5-10 inches. Today the 8,000 foot high temperature should be around 38 degrees 

and near 30 degrees at 10,000 feet. A few showers will linger into Wednesday. Thursday and 

Friday we will get a break with another storm on the weekend. 

I will do an afternoon update on our longer forecast advisory by 1pm this afternoon. You can 

access this number by dialing 801-364-1591 

Snowmobile: The Utah State Parks Department has funded two part time snowmobile 

avalanche educators. They are available to provide free avalanche education for snowmobile 

groups. For more information call the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center at either (801) 524-5304 

or 800-662-4140. 

There is still space available in the Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Centers January 15 

17, 3 day avalanche class. For more information, contact customer service at REI at 801-486-

2100. 

You can get this advisory and other avalanche and mountain weather info on the net at: 

www.csac.org. Click on Salt Lake City to get specific information for our area. 

To report snow and avalanche conditions, especially any avalanche activity call 801-524-5304 or 

1-800-662-4140. 

The information in this advisory is from the U.S. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its 

content. The advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur. 

Ethan Greene will update this advisory by 7:30 Wednesday morning. 
FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 

45

Forest Service Utah Avalanche Center / National Weather Service 

In partnership with: Friends of the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center, Utah Department 

of Public Safety Division of Comprehensive Emergency Management, Salt Lake 

County, Utah State Parks 

Northern Utah Mountain Weather Forecast 

Tuesday, January 11, 2000 

0600 MDT 

Today: 

Continued strong WSW winds and light precipitation, 2-4”. The Logan and Ogden 

mountains should pick up 3-6” today. Tonight a cold front will move through northern 

Utah giving the mountains another blast of snow, say 5-10” with higher amounts 

possible. 

Light snow lingering into Wednesday morning. Thursday and Friday will be partly 

cloudy with periods of high clouds. 

Extended: 

Next storm looks like about Saturday night. 

 Tuesday Tuesday night Wednesday Wednesday night 

10,000’ Wind 

Direction 

WSW WNW WSW WSW 

10,000’ Wind Speed 

(free air) 

40-50 35 25-35 20-30 

10,000’ Temperature 

F (free air) 

23 10 10 18 

8,000’ Temperature 

F 

35 20 28 15-20 

Cloud Cover BKN-OVC OVC SCT-BKN SCT 

Precipitation Light snow Snow Light snow AM 

Rain/Snow line 7,000 Valley 

Lightning No No No No

Quantitative Precipitation Estimate (Inches) 

 

Logan Mountains 3-6 4-8 2-4 

Powder Mountain 3-6 4-8 2-4 

Snowbasin 2-5 4-8 1-3 

Canyons Resort 2-4 4-8 1-3 

Park City/Deer 

Valley 

2-4 5-10 1-3 

Solitude/Brighton 2-4 5-10 2-4 

Snowbird/Alta 2-4 5-10 2-4 

Sundance 1-3 4-8 1-2 
ANNUAL REPORT 1999-2000 FOREST SERVICE UTAH AVALANCHE CENTER 

46