Salt Lake Snowcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

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In today's episode, I'll be chatting with Dani Poirier from the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance. We'll get to know Dani a little bit before diving into some hot topics in the Wasatch. Dani will also provide some updates for us about current access issues, the WBA shuttle, and the organization's trail counting program.

For snow, weather, and avalanche updates, all eyes are on an active period of weather between Christmas and New Years. It's still a ways out, but we have a good history of having reliable Winter storms right around Christmas time. Santa loves the Wasatch! Until then, you can choose to either manage persistent slabs on the polar aspects, or dodge rocks and stumps on the solar aspects. Time to do a little snow dance.

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The Wasatch is starting to come back to life and we can all breathe a sigh of relief. After a long period of high pressure, our snow globe has returned, at least for now. In today's episode, I'll recap our snow, weather, and avalanches before jumping into an interview with Emmet Murray. Emmet is the unit Vice President out of the Canyons village for the Park City Ski Patrol Association where he works as a Hill Captain. We'll talk all things ski patrol before learning about ski patrol Unions and why they are important to your safety on the mountain.

Head's up...after we recorded this interview, the PCPSA had a strike authorization vote and those who voted did so unanimously to approve a strike authorization. Tune in to their social media channels to learn more about this action and to get involved:
@pcskipatrolunion
@united_mountain_workers
@solitudeskipatrolunion
@parkcityliftmaintenace

You can also contribute to them via Venmo at: @PCSPA
Or, check out their GoFundMe Here: 

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Thanks for tuning in to Episode 9 of the Salt Lake Snowcast. I wanted to get this one out as soon as possible as I  think it is an incredibly important episode going into this weekend. After the usual backcountry update, I have an honest and vulnerable conversation with local pro skier Sam Cohen and our friend, ski guide, and avalanche forecaster Cody Hughes. Sam was caught, carried, and partially buried in an avalanche this past week and wanted to come on the show to tell the full story. With the help of Cody and Sam, the three of us debrief the current phenomenon right now in the Wasatch where, despite scary moderate danger with a persistent weak layer avalanche problem, the backcountry looks like a ski resort with tracks on every avalanche path as far as the eye can see. 

I keep going back to this quote from the show where Cody says “People are hedging their bets right now and what that means is they’re gambling.” You can stack the odds in your favor all day long and talk yourself into skiing avalanche terrain, but with a persistent weak layer, you’re still rolling the dice. And you know what…the thing about gambling is that the house always wins. At the end of the day, it’s a numbers game.

Thanks for being here and giving us a listen. Feel free to send a DM or an email with any questions about today’s show. saltlakesnowcast@gmail.com

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Welcome to Episode 8! Things are trending positively right now for our persistent weak layer, but we aren’t out of the woods yet. It’s going to be one of those tempting weekends where you’ll likely see some bold tracks in big avalanche paths. Heading into this weekend, remember our discussion from last week about getting lucky vs. making good decisions. With our current snowpack, tracks aren’t necessarily indicating stability. 

In Part 2, local backcountry skier, former Navy SEAL, and man of many talents, Trevor Thompson, joins the Snowcast to chat about risk, group dynamics and fitness. Trevor’s approach to backcountry touring is intentional and grounded in years of experience.

Finally, we wrap up today’s episode with our extended forecast for the Wasatch. We are back into high pressure and on a slow warming trend until the middle of next week before another storm is on deck for Friday. 

Thanks for the continuous love! Subscribe to the pod, download episodes, and share our IG posts!

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Are we making good decisions or are we getting lucky? Going into this weekend, I have a message I want you to hear. We are headed in a bad direction and I don’t like the trend I’m seeing. We’ve seen some notable incidents and we have almost every “red flag” present right now in the Wasatch.  Typically, we see some dangerous close calls, a few people get lucky, and then the luck eventually runs out. Let’s work together as a community, think before we drop in, and keep one another safe.

On a more optimistic note, the snow globe continues this weekend with more powder on tap. Tune in for your usual update on backcountry conditions followed by a conversation with Jack Stauss about red flags and decision making. 

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Hey Everyone! I just couldn’t help myself today. The mountains are popping off right now and we have extreme danger. These are not normal conditions. Things are dangerous and need to be taken seriously. Instead of going skiing, I had an extra espresso shot this morning,  called up my friend and local avalanche forecaster for Utah Mountain Adventures, Kiira Antenucci, and chatted about our current conditions. 

If you have questions or curiosities about what extreme danger means, how we got here, what to make of these hazards, and when things will chill out, then tune in for a quick chat.

Feel free to DM me on Instagram or email saltlakesnowcast@gmail.com with additional questions or if you'd like to come on the show. We’ll be back at the end of the week with a full episode and recap of these wild conditions.

Don’t forget to rate the podcast, subscribe, and download. We appreciate all of the support!

If you're interested in the Conceptual Model of Avalanche Hazard, check it out here.

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It's been a busy, active week in the backcountry and episodes like this are quickly becoming my favorite to record and produce.  There's a lot to talk about. We'll start today's show like usual by discussing the snow, weather, and avalanche conditions. Our house of cards is crumbling more and more everyday and this weekend has natural avalanche cycle written all over it. There have already been 40 backcountry avalanches reported to the UAC and I'm sure more and more observations will come in this weekend. Tune in to hear the complete story about what's going on in the backcountry.

Are you inta' the Uintas? In Part 2, we'll chat with local guide, educator, and avalanche forecaster Joey Manship about accessing this mountain range. He'll give us information about the weather and backcountry conditions to this seemingly elusive area. 

We'll close the episode by summarizing our weather forecast for the next week. We're measuring snow in feet. Not inches.

Thanks for your support! Keep sharing the SLSC with your ski community and let me know what you think.

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Welcome to 2024 and Episode Five of the SLSC. In Part One, we review what has been happening to our current snow surfaces during a long period of high pressure. Spoiler...it’s not good. Next, we have an interview with local writer, skier, and climate scientist Anneka Williams. 

Whether this is your first season in the Wasatch, you moved here a few years ago, or you were born in Salt Lake City, everybody was a beginner at some point. Anneka fills us in what it was like to move here during a historic Winter. If you’re a crusty local, take the time to reflect on your own coming of age in the Wasatch and if you just moved to town, listen to today’s episode for some great advice from Ani.

We close out today’s episode by getting stoked on the next week of active weather across the Central Wasatch.

Thanks for checking out the Snowcast. As always, I’d love to hear what you think about today’s episode and if you have something you want to hear on the pod, let me know! Be safe everybody and enjoy the snow. 

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Following the update on current backcountry conditions, we review the forecasted storm coming in this weekend. It’s been changing every few hours and I’m still not really sure what to expect. Either way, we need the moisture and every little bit helps! With our mountains hovering around 80% of average snow water equivalent, we have room for opportunity!

In part two this week, Jack and I chat with Carl Fisher from local non-profit Save Our Canyons. Carl is the outgoing Executive Director and has been with the organization for about twenty years. Along with chatting about conservation issues in the Wasatch, Carl gives us some important background information about the current Gondola project in Little Cottonwood Canyon. He informs us about corruption, greed, and cronyism that has driven development in our mountain range. Please give the full episode a listen and send us a DM with your thoughts.

As Carl is leaving the Wasatch, we want to say thanks as backcountry skiers for all his hard work in protecting our favorite playground. Carl and his family are generously matching all new member dues to Save our Canyons up to $2,000. To become a member, follow this link. 

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In Episode 3, we have an update from last week’s conversation about parking before recapping the amazing storm last Friday that produced the best conditions so far this season. After that, Billy Haas joins me for a discussion about what low and moderate avalanche hazard really means when we are dealing with persistent slab avalanche problems. We’ll discuss strategies for entering terrain when conditions are trending in a positive direction. Billy is one of the most well spoken people I know in the snow and avalanche world and is exceptional at translating data and science to real world decision making. He is an IFMGA guide, professional avalanche educator, and a passionate ski mountaineer. I hope you enjoy our honesty in the interview and remember to have patience and humility this coming weekend.

If you are curious about where these danger ratings and avalanche problems come from, check out this article titled A Conceptual Model for Avalanche Hazard. 

I encourage any backcountry skier or rider in the Wasatch to be a member of the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance. These folks are doing great work to build community and provide solutions to transportation problems. 

As always, reach out if you’d like to be on the Salt Lake Snowcast or have a story to share with our community. I would be psyched to share your art, activism, or community building efforts. Please talk about us to your ski partners and give us a follow on Instagram @saltlakesnowcast or send us an email saltlakesnowcast@gmail.com.