The Bottom Line for Saturday in the La Sal and Abajo Mountains will be an Avalanche Danger of Moderate for persistent weak layers on NW-NE-SE slopes near tree-line. The rest of the ranges will have and Avalanche Danger of Low.
Special AnnouncementsThe Utah Avalanche Center - Moab will teach a basic avalanche awareness course on Friday, January 18th at 6:30 pm at the Grand County Public Library. The following day, Saturday, January 19th, there will be an Avalanche Rescue Clinic at the Geyser Pass Winter TH at 10:00 am. Both of these events are free and open to anyone who would like to attend.
The 3-day AIARE Level I course on February 1st-3rd is filled. If you want to get on the waitlist, call 435-636-3355.
The Utah Avalanche Center - Moab is on Facebook! Become a friend today.
Weather and SnowThe La Sal Mountains are 10 to 15 degrees on average warmer than the Moab Valley on Friday. If you want to get out of the cold, head up to the mountains! Don't forget the sunscreen.
LUNA volunteers groomed the entire track on Friday, laying corduroy into Gold Basin and over Geyser Pass. If your not into a crowd, there's plenty of quieter places to enjoy a cross-country ski as well..Oowah Lake road, Warner Lake road and Pack Creek proper.
The roads up to Hart's Draw Winter TH in the Abajos, Upper Two Mile outside of La Sal and the Geyser Pass Winter TH are plowed with plenty of parking for everyone.
Shady, sheltered (below tree-line) locations will be the best opportunity for some decent powder/recycled powder conditions. Expect sun crusts to have developed on sunnier aspects and variable conditions elsewhere. Camp Jackson in the Abajos and the Geyser Pass Winter Trailhead have around 20" of snow on the ground, while Gold Basin holds close to 36".
Recent AvalanchesWe need your observations! Please post them under the DETAILED INFO drop down menu on any of the Utah Avalanche Center webpages. Make sure your choose Moab as your location.
The wind stopped blowing a couple of days ago meaning wind slabs will be more stubborn to trigger. This persistent high pressure will continue to affect the surface snow metamorphism, something to think about for subsequent storms. There has been a surface hoar event (still on the surface), plenty of near-surface faceting and crusts developing. Until a significant weather event occurs, these changes should not increase the avalanche danger.
What still lingers out there is some areas where weak basal layers have a slab sitting on top of them, mostly at or just above tree-line locations.
Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 38. North northeast wind around 5 mph becoming south southwest in the morning.
Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 18. South southwest wind around 5 mph becoming north northeast after midnight.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 34. South southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.
M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 36.
Monday Night: Clear, with a low around 20.
The Friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center has been an important partner of the UAC-Moab for over 20 years by providing field observers, weather instrumentation, maintaining weather stations and funding. Go to their www.moabavalanche.org to donate today!
