Tushar Report 12/23/2025

Welcome Back to the Tushar Report! I am excited to bring you updates throughout the 25/26 winter for central Utah's Tushar Mountains. I will be sharing weekly condition updates, weather forecasts, and avalanche observations.

Please remember, I am not a professional avalanche forecaster. The information shared in the Tushar Report reflects general observations, publicly available data, and personal opinions at the time of writing. Mountain weather, snowpack, and avalanche conditions can change rapidly and vary significantly across terrain, elevation, and aspect. All users are responsible for assessing conditions in the field and making their own travel decisions. This report is not a forecast, route recommendation, or safety guarantee and should not be used as a substitute for formal avalanche education, professional forecasts, or individual decision-making.

 Quick Summary

Winter has been off to a slow start this season, but it looks like it is finally joining us. There is a chance for some significant snowfall this coming week, but it is unlikely to take us out of the early season conditions here in the Tushar Mountains. The best skiing will be found on polar aspects in the trees where the sun hasn't affected the snowpack. It has been unseasonably warm and dry the past few weeks, and solar aspects are largely snow free.

Overall Conditions: Early season conditions.

Recent Snow: No recent snow.

Best Elevations: North facing slopes above 10,000'.

Avalanche Danger: Unknown → Increasing.

Primary Concern: Early season facets on polar aspects.

Weather Forecast

Takeaway: increasing wind and moderate snowfall mid-week may build thin wind slabs on upper elevation north aspects.

Today

Partly sunny, with a high near 37. South southwest wind around 18 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph.

Tonight

A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Wind chill values as low as 9. Windy, with a south southwest wind 24 to 31 mph.

Wednesday

Snow likely, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 32. Wind chill values as low as 9. Windy, with a south wind 24 to 31 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Wednesday Night

Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 27. Windy, with a south wind 24 to 32 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible.

Christmas Day

Snow. High near 29. Windy, with a south southwest wind 23 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Thursday Night

Snow likely, mainly after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible.

Friday

Snow likely before 11am, then snow showers after 11am. Some thunder is also possible. High near 24. Windy. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible.

Friday Night

Snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14.

Saturday

Snow likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 19.

Saturday Night

A slight chance of snow before 11pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 10.

Sunday

A slight chance of snow. Mostly sunny, with a high near 21.

Sunday Night

Partly cloudy, with a low around 12.

Monday

A slight chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 26.

(Forecast source: NOAA / NWS Delano Peak Area)

Snowpack & SNOTEL

SNOTELS reflect very thin coverage at mid and lower elevations; higher north aspects may hold slightly more snow.

Big Flat SNOTEL: 11"

Merchant Valley SNOTEL: 4"

Kimberly Mine SNOTEL: 2"

Field Observations:

• Coverage: largely snow free on solar aspects, and areas below 10,000'

• Surface: expect shallow, unconsolidated snow.

• Hazards: Early season conditions, poorly bonded faceted early season snow on polar aspects.

Recent Avalanche Observations

UAC Region: Southwest Utah

Observations Link: https://utahavalanchecenter.org/observations?rid=All&term=1475&fodv%5Bmin%5D%5Bdate%5D=&fodv%5Bmax%5D%5Bdate%5D=

Recent Observations:

• No recent observations. Submit one here: https://utahavalanchecenter.org/observations-avalanches/submit

  
  

Safety Notes:

• Carry beacon, shovel, probe.

• Watch for wind slabs & cornices.

• Expect thin coverage and hidden rocks.

Touring Recommendations

If you are desperate to get out, I would recommend skiing at Eagle Point Resort. If you do get out in to the backcountry, I would recommend just going for a hike with the skins on and plan to not take them off. Treat any outing as a fitness tour rather than a ski mission.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully after these holiday storms there will be enough snow to start exploring the Tushar backcountry, but for now either bring out the rock skis, or plan to just hike around the backcountry with skins on.

If you find this information useful and you want to keep it coming, please consider donating by using the donation form at the bottom of the https://www.utahvivid.com/tushar-report page. Thanks for reading, and let me know at info@utahvivid.com if you have any suggestions for upcoming posts. I will post some pics, observations, and condition updates as things change!