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Welcome to the Wallowa Avalanche Center on the web. We provide the winter backcountry traveler with tools to make an informed decision about winter travel in Northeast Oregon. The Wallowa Mountains contain outstanding opportunities for backcountry skiing and snowmobiling. Currently no official avalanche advisory, forecast, or prediction covers the Wallowa Mountains. Nothing on this site should be construed as a forecast, advisory or prediction. Wallowa Avalanche Center provides resources for individuals to make their own decisions. Our goals for the future include a local advisory and we appreciate your support toward this goal.

 

Wallowa Avalanche Center

Expanded Trip Report: Wasatch Mountains, Utah, February 2010

Disclaimer: This trip report describes a trip and research conducted by WAC Director Keith Stebbings. Funding for this trip  and associated research is not provided by the Wallowa Avalanche Center. No WAC funds were used for this project or trip expenses. The information is only provided for educational purposes.

Besides playing and enjoying my old romping grounds in the Wasatch Range of Utah some work is being continued this season and beyond to hopefully advance snow science in general and help to understand and categorize the Wallowa Mountains Snow/Avalanche climate. I am fortunate to be able to learn and conduct research with the following individuals:

Tom Kimbrough  (Veteran Utah Avalanche Center Forecaster, retired, & SWAG reviewer)

Brett Kobernik (Current Utah Avalanche Center Forecaster)

Wendy Wagner (post-doc Meteorologist)

Photo 1: Tom Kimbrough sawing a slice of the crown for surface hoar study. This Soldier Peak (Fork) avalanche was large and remotely triggered from the ridge on 2-26-10. Photo taken 2-27-10. Click on the UAC link below for incredible photos of the avalanche.

Photo 2: The culprit of numerous recent avalanches in the Wasatch of Utah. Photo taken 2-27-10 of a sliver of the crown showing the surface hoar at the  Photo 1 avalanche site. Note the buried surface hoar is still standing up.

Excerpt from UAC site:

“As forecast, yesterday (2-26-10) was an extremely wild day. I think it set a record for the number of human triggered avalanches reported to us in one day. Here is the list:

21 significant, human triggered avalanches in the backcountry

9 unintentionally triggered

7 people caught

4 partial burials including one with just his hand sticking out”

See all the details and full report by Tremper at the link below:

Utah Avalanche Center

 

Photo 3: Brett, Wendy and Keith using special datalogger temperature sensors to study the upper couple inches of the snowpack for facet development. This site is where the US avalanche program of study started. Monty Atwater’s original study plot site at Alta. Photo taken 2-24-10.

 

Photo 4: Wendy is studying independently the surface snow temperature of Nordic tracks using the same special datalogger temperature sensors. Photo taken 2-23-10. Keith enjoyed learning how she is using these sensors for this purpose. The device in her right hand is an optical reflectometer for measuring temperature.

 

Wasatch Pit: Compare this Wasatch diagram of the Photo 1 location to the Wallowas and you’ll see there isn’t that much difference. Thanks to Tom for doing the hardness tests and depths.

 

 

 
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