It's now been a week since the last snowfall and the snowpack is beginning to adjust to the load. All told, the Abajo/Blue Mountains received more than 2' of snow containing 4.0"-5.0" of Snow Water Equivalent between Feb 1-8. This was a tremendous load on the weak, underlying snowpack and several natural avalanches occurred. The snowpack is beginning to adjust but you can still trigger a deep and dangerous avalanche failing on a buried persistent weak layer. The problem is that outward signs of instability such as collapsing and whumphing may not be present and things might feel okay. Over in Colorado, where they have a similar snowpack, people are triggering avalanches daily down to this weak layer, sometimes after multiple runs on the same slope. Likely trigger points include thinner snowpack areas along slope margins, near rocky outcrops, or in areas of steep, rocky, radical terrain. The danger is greatest on steep slopes facing NW-N-NE-E, and this type of terrain should still be avoided.

Volunteers from the Blue Mountain Snowshoe and Ski Club groomed all 5.2 miles of trail from the Dalton Springs Trailhead yeseterday. This includes the Hart's Draw Road through 70's Flat, and the Buckboard Campground Loop. It should be a great next few days for getting out on the trails!

NWS forecast for the Abajo Mountains.

Snow totals and temps at Buckboard Flat (8924')

Snow totals and temps at Camp Jackson (8858')