Know Before You Go: the StormTune storm-day guide
⚠ StormTune is not an avalanche forecast or a safety service. This guide is a starting point, not training. Take the free Know Before You Go program from the Utah Avalanche Center and a formal avalanche course before traveling in avalanche terrain.
1. Read the storm
- Check the snow report. Next 48h is the model forecast, and 72h is what has already fallen.
- Model snow is a range, not a promise. The Cottonwoods often beat valley forecasts, and the Park City side often gets less.
- Wind matters as much as depth. A big, windy storm means wind slabs in the backcountry and wind-buffed groomers in bounds.
- Canyon roads (SR-210, SR-190) can close or require traction devices. Check UDOT before committing to a dawn patrol.
2. Tune timing: beat the rush
- Drop off before the storm, not during it. Shops fill the night the forecast firms up. Open shops on the board have room tonight.
- Overnight tunes usually need a late-afternoon drop-off. Check each shop’s cutoff on its card, then call to confirm.
- Powder doesn’t need a race edge, but it does need wax. A hot wax before deep, warm days keeps skis from sticking.
- Touring setups: when skis come back, check skin glue, toe pins and brakes. Ask for clean tips so skins stick.
- Sunday-night and holiday-week storms are the tightest. If a shop is Full, try a same-day shop or a mobile tuner.
3. Gear check
Everyone
- Fresh wax, sharp-enough edges
- Goggles plus a low-light lens
- Warm layers, spare gloves
- Phone charged, cold-weather case
Backcountry: required
- Avalanche transceiver, on and checked at the trailhead
- Metal shovel
- Probe (240 cm+)
- A partner carrying the same who knows how to use it
Backcountry: strongly suggested
- Airbag pack
- First-aid and repair kit
- Offline map or GPS app
- Inclinometer
4. Avalanche basics
- Most avalanche accidents are triggered by the victim or their group, on slopes of roughly 30–45°.
- Red flags: recent avalanches, shooting cracks, collapsing (“whumpfing”), heavy new snow or rain, wind loading, rapid warming.
- New snow needs time to bond. The bluebird day after a big storm is often the most dangerous.
- Terrain is your main control: lower angles, no terrain traps below, one at a time on exposed slopes.
- Ski patrol manages resort terrain. Past the boundary gate, nobody does.
5. The North American danger scale
| 1 · Low | Generally safe conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. |
| 2 · Moderate | Heightened conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully. |
| 3 · Considerable | Dangerous conditions. Careful evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decisions are essential. Most fatalities occur here. |
| 4 · High | Very dangerous conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended. |
| 5 · Extreme | Avoid all avalanche terrain. |
| No rating | No rating issued today. Not the same as Low. Treat it as unknown. |
Paraphrased from the public North American Avalanche Danger Scale. The problem type, aspect and elevation in the full forecast matter more than the single number.
6. Using this board
- Open / Full is self-reported by the shop, with a timestamp. If it’s older than a few hours, call first.
- Not reported means the shop hasn’t claimed its listing. It doesn’t mean closed.
- Powder alert on the snow page watches your home mountain for a 6″ or 12″ forecast. When it trips, book a tune that day.
- Locate me on the map only runs when you tap it. Your location stays in your browser and is never sent to or stored by StormTune.
- Press ⌘K / Ctrl K anywhere to jump to a shop, the snow report or this guide.
- Run a shop? Claim your listing to flip Open / Full on storm nights, or get Featured.
7. Before you leave the car
- Read today’s official forecast: UAC Salt Lake, Ogden, Provo, Uintas, Logan.
- Tell someone your plan and turnaround time.
- Beacon-check everyone in the group.
- Agree on a conservative plan B before anyone sees the fresh snow.