Episode 3 of the UAC podcast is live. We talk with UDOT Avalanche Program Supervisor Bill Nalli on how he and his teams keep the Greatest Snow on Earth from avalanching over the open roads and highways of the state. Check it out on ITunes, Stitcher, the UAC blog, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Spend some time improving your rescue skills or learning about avalanches in these two, upcoming Moab area classes:
The UAC Marketplace is online. The holiday auction is closed, but our online marketplace still has deals on skis, packs, airbag packs, beacons, snowshoes, soft goods and much more.
In my travels on Tuesday, the reality set in that in spite of receiving up to 16" of snow over the weekend, there still just isn't enough base for safe skiing and riding conditions off the groomed trails and roads. The recent snow has settled out and the base depth at Geyser Pass Trailhead is 18". Overall coverage ranges from about a foot on sun exposed slopes, to up 20" in favored locations. Hard core enthusiasts tracked out the lower angle, grassy slopes over the weekend, but for now, the best game in town continues to be on groomed trails and roads.
New snow totals in Gold Basin.
Snow totals at the Geyser Pass Trailhead, (9600')
Wind, temperature, and humidity on Pre Laurel Peak (11,700')
Road conditions to Geyser Pass Trailhead: Road is plowed and snowpacked.
Grooming conditions: Road into Gold Basin is groomed and set with classic track.