We have several events coming up to kick off the winter season:
Thursday, December 5 - FREE Know Before You Go avalanche awareness talk 6 PM at the Grand County Public Library
Geyser Pass Road: The La Sal Loop Road will be closed above Pack Creek Monday-Friday from 8:30 to 5:30 for construction through December 18. Access to the Geyser Pass Winter Trailhead will be from Castle Valley or Sand Flats Road during these hours.
Click here for more information.
6 A.M. Snow and Weather Data
24 Hour Snow: 0" 72 Hour Snow: 0" Season Total Snow: 44" Depth at Gold Basin: 24"
Winds on Pre-Laurel Peak: SSE 5 mph Temp: 24° F Percent of Normal (SWE): 200%
Weather
The only news is a slight shift in direction from our negligible winds from NE to southerly. Other than that, it's more of the same - sunny skies, light winds, and high temps of around 30° at 10,000'.
General Conditions
As the doldrums of this high pressure drag on it's good to remember that it's only Dec 5, and that we often aren't skiing or riding yet. The skiing is better than you might think with only two feet of dense, settled snow out there. There has been almost no wind to speak of in the mountains and this has preserved the few inches of soft powder on the surface. You can still find fun turning on low-angle northerly aspects. On Tuesday, Dave found good skiing on south facing slopes where sunshine and warm temperatures made for soft, spring-like turns. If you ride slopes that face south and southwest, you can avoid the persistent weak layer problem and still get some fun turns in. Keep in mind, that coverage is still very thin and you need to look out for rocks and other obstacles. If you choose to ride northerly aspects, travel advice is to keep your slope angles below 30 degrees as the persistent weak layer problem will be with us for some time.
Snowpack and Weather Data
More avalanches from last week's cycle continue to be observed. Aaron Kawcak sent in this report of a
significant slide in Miner's Basin. Avalanches such as this can still be triggered by humans. This data is extremely helpful to us and we really appreciate it!