The following report is based on conditions observed in the field on Sunday, December 8, and weather data gathered on Monday, December 9, at 6:00 a.m. The report will describe snow, avalanche, and weather conditions observed at that time, and is meant to provide a baseline for the coming week. Should significant changes occur, this report will be updated.
Well it's always good to get out in the field and either confirm or deny your forecast. I read Sunday's snow totals of only 4" with some skepticism. Skepticism that grew when I found 6"-8" on the Geyser Pass Road. As it turns out, snow fall totals varied wildly for the La Sal Mountains from this storm. Storm boards at Geyser Pass Trailhead and Gold Basin did reveal 4" and 6" respectively. I found 8"-10" at higher elevations with areas of wind deposited snow up to a foot deep. Then came this whopping report from Karl Kelley, with pictures, from the South Mountain area where he reported 20" of new snow! http://utahavalanchecenter.org/observations/18938 Powder conditions are excellent below tree line but expect to find wind affected snow above, particularly on westerly aspects. There is currently 21" on the ground at the Geyser Pass Trailhead, 40" in Gold Basin, and 28" at Camp Jackson.
In my travels on Sunday, I observed several recent avalanches. These were all confined to the new snow, consisting of recently deposited wind slabs on upper elevation slopes near ridge crests. They were on slopes with NW-NE aspects, about 40 degrees in steepness, and close to 12,000 feet. For details, see our list of avalanches here: http://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanches/list/moab