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Forecast for the Moab Area Mountains

Eric Trenbeath
Issued by Eric Trenbeath for
Monday, April 4, 2022
The avalanche danger is generally LOW but the La Sals are a big little mountain range comprised of large, complex, radical terrain. Unstable snow may still exist on isolated terrain features and here are some things to keep in mind:
  • A persistent weak layer of faceted snow still exists on northerly aspects. This weak layer is largely non-reactive however, it could still pose a threat in areas of extreme terrain right around treeline.
  • Isolated, unstable wind slabs may still exist in upper elevation, wind exposed terrain. Remain on the lookout for unstable areas of wind drifted snow, especially in consequential terrain.
  • Loose wet avalanches remain possible as the days heat up. Stay off of steep slopes if they become wet and sloppy.
    Minimize your risk by continuing to observe safe travel techniques. Maintain terrain awareness and only expose one person to danger at a time.
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Road Conditions: The road is a mix of dirt and mud down low and a few inches of snow up high. It gets sloppier as the days warm up. All wheel drive and good tires are recommended.
Grooming: Trails into Gold Basin were groomed on Friday.
Weather and Snow
6:00 a.m. weather data:
24 Hour Snow 0" 72 Hour Snow 0" Base Depth at Gold Basin 54" Wind NW 5-10 Temp 28F
10,000' temps dropped into the high 20's last night and NW winds are mostly light this morning. That's going to change later today as remnants of an atmospheric river track through to the north bringing with it blustery NW winds that will last through Wednesday. We'll see mostly sunny skies today with increasing NW winds this afternoon. High temps today will be up around 40F. Cloudy conditions develop overnight as the system moves through. The rest of the week looks clear and dry.
Snowpack
Yesterday saw the end of the glory. A run of dry powder, sunny skies, and relatively cool temps, was capped off by clouds, warm temperatures, and occasional light precipitation. This resulted in a "greenhouse" effect which caused most surfaces to become damp. As a result, most slopes will be crusted over this morning. Nate Ament and Travis Nauman were up yesterday and they reported "hot powder" conditions on upper elevation northerly aspects along with some impressive pinwheel action later in the day. Hunt for corn on S-W facing slopes this week, but this could be the end of it as those aspects are melting out fast.
The Jan-Feb persistent weak layer is still present though stability tests are consistently showing the layer to be non-reactive. I feel safe in saying that it is mostly dormant at this time but you may still be able to find some trouble in steep, complex, featured terrain right around treeline. Minimize your risk by sticking to open, planar slopes, and remain wary of steep convexities and blind break-overs.
Snow and Weather Links
Gold Basin SNOTEL site (10,000')
Storm Totals in Gold Basin
Wind Station on Pre Laurel Peak (11,700')
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Avalanche Problem #1
Normal Caution
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Description
The avalanche danger is generally LOW but the La Sals are a big little mountain range comprised of large, complex, radical terrain. Unstable snow may still exist on isolated terrain features. As you consider bigger objectives, here are some things to keep in mind:
  • A persistent weak layer of faceted snow still exists on northerly aspects. This weak layer is largely non-reactive however, it could still pose a threat in areas of extreme terrain right around treeline. Minimize your exposure to this problem by avoiding sparsely wooded, steep, rocky, radical terrain right around treeline.
  • Isolated, unstable wind slabs may still exist in upper elevation, wind exposed terrain. Remain on the lookout for unstable areas of wind drifted snow, especially in consequential terrain where even a small triggered wind slab could carry you over a cliff. Wind slabs are recognizable by their smooth rounded appearance and they may sound hollow underneath.
  • Loose wet avalanches remain possible as the days heat up. Signs of instability include pinwheels, rollerballs, and small "point release" sluffs. Stay off of steep slopes when these signs are present, or if they become wet and sloppy.
Minimize your risk by continuing to observe safe travel techniques. Maintain awareness of the terrain and only expose one person to danger at a time.
Additional Information
That's all for now folks. Hope you got some of this over the weekend!
General Announcements
Who's up for some free avalanche training? Get a refresher, become better prepared for an upcoming avalanche class, or just boost your skills. Go to https://learn.kbyg.org/ and scroll down to Step 2 for a series of interactive online avalanche courses produced by the UAC.
This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.
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