Right now that is where the best turns are and where the most danger is. Lane Larkin, commander of Salt Lake Search and Rescue, notes that because the mountains are backed up against the metropolitan area, they can be deceptively dangerous. Although some storms drop little precipitation in the valley, the mountains often get pounded with powder snow. It's right here on our doorsteps. Early in the season, the Wasatch is more prone to avalanches than the Sierra and Cascade ranges, which set up with cement-like snow that piles up on ridges.
Snow here tends to dry out.
Crystals don't bind together well. Then you get a big early snowfall, and you have all this new snow sitting on an unconsolidated base. And it won't stay on the hill. Over-eager skiers and boarders are perhaps a bigger problem, Kimbrough says. The Alta parking lot was full Saturday, and there were no lifts running whatsoever.