A surprise storm late Thursday night and early Friday morning dumped between 14" and 24" of light, fluffy powder on the Abajo / Blue Mountains. Reports from yesterday indicate that the snow is settling out, but lots of sleds were getting stuck up in North Creek. Skiers, displaced by the Geyser Pass road closure, tracked out the old Blue Mountain Ski Area on Friday, and began pushing up the ridge toward Abajo Peak yesterday.
Check out these observations from Matt Van Scoyoc and Brian Sparks.
Winds during and after the storm have remained mostly calm, occasionally gusting into the 15-20 mph range along ridge tops. Direction varied from SW during the storm to NE after. They are currently in the single digits and westerly. It is a frigid 1 degree on Abajo Peak, and 7 at Buckboard Flat.
Winds, temperature and humidity on Abajo Peak.
Snow totals at Buckboard Flat.
Note to self: Don't stop unless you have a good place to turnaround which, in lower North Creek, is nowhere. We made it to just below the first big switchback on Friday where deep snow and the threat of avalanches turned us around.
Observer Brian Murray gives the thumbs up on the way back down.