The newest issue of the Powder Cloud, the newsletter of the Utah Avalanche Center is hot off the presses.
The UAC Marketplace is still open. Our online marketplace still has deals on skis, packs, airbag packs, beacons, snowshoes, soft goods and much more.
INSTAGRAM! We now have a UAC-Moab Instagram page. You can find it here....but better yet follow us on your smartphone. Confused? Ask a teenager.
Southwest winds are on the increase ahead of a fast moving storm system passing through to the north. They are currently averaging 20-25 mph with gusts into the 40's. 10,000' temps are in the low to mid 30's. Turning and riding conditions leave something to be desired but travel is fast and easy over mostly supportable surfaces. Corn-like snow is developing at mid elevations on SE-S-W aspects. Most other surfaces range from wind hammered to sun crusted.
In my travels over the weekend I discovered that people have been getting after it, and that many of the big lines in Gold Basin had been skied without incident. Mostly stable snow conditions exist, but surfaces in the high country are firm and smooth, and slides for life are a real possibility. Ice axes, whippets and or crampons are recommended for alpine pursuits.
New snow totals in Gold Basin.
Snow totals at the Geyser Pass Trailhead, (9600')
Wind, temperature, and humidity on Pre Laurel Peak (11,700')