Springtime avalanches present a different set of challenges than their midwinter cousins.
“Fortunately, in general, in the spring, the avalanche problems are much more manageable and understandable,” said Utah Avalanche Center Forecaster Drew Hardesty. “It's pretty easy to see when the snow is changing rapidly in the spring and it's time to hit the trail and get back to the car.”
With high mountain snow still in the forecast, Hardesty thinks people could enjoy skiing or snowshoeing for at least the next couple of months in Utah. But just because avalanche risk may be more clear now, that doesn’t mean people can let their guard down when in the mountains.
Just last year, two backcountry skiers were killed in an avalanche near Lone Peak on May 10.
The avalanche center stopped its daily forecasts for the season on April 13, but will still publish intermittent updates and weekly blog posts through early May.
It will not only use data collected by forecasters, but also information and photos submitted by the public to help shape the off-season forecasts.
“Anytime we have a storm that's coming through or a significant batch of avalanches that we've heard about, we'll do intermittent updates,” said Hardesty. “You can go and see what's new, see where people have been getting out and about and what kind of information they're submitting to all of us.”
Common avalanches that can be encountered during the spring include wet loose slides, where warming temperatures release unconsolidated loose snow, to wet slab slides, where snow layers separate from one another due to melting water.
Another, more destructive slide is also possible. A glide avalanche can occur when persistent warm weather warms the ground enough to cause the entire snowpack to break away and slide down the mountain.
“They are full-depth and catastrophic,” Hardesty warned. “They're hard to forecast, even harder to survive.”
Thankfully, glide avalanches occur on very specific slopes. These typically have smooth surfaces, like where there is exposed bedrock or grass fields, so they are usually isolated to only a few areas in Utah.
“I think it's just important to avoid being in that terrain when we've had hours and hours and days, multiple days, of nonfreezing nights and direct sun,” said Hardesty.
Melting snow also means spring runoff, when rivers and streams run high, fast and cold. That presents another variable to keep in mind while in the mountains, especially when recreating with small children or pets who could be swept away by fast-moving water.
Municipalities across Utah are also preparing for potential floods as the snow continues to melt.
Speaking to reporters during his April monthly news conference, Gov. Spencer Cox said flooding could be minimal this year.
“What the long-range forecast is, we do not anticipate having any big runoff,” he said. “There may be some localized issues, as there always are, but we don't anticipate any issues there.”
Still, the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation advises people to stay away from river and stream banks until runoff subsides.
