Observation: Gold Basin

Observation Date

2/14/2026

Observer Name

Kennard, Grote

Region

Moab » Gold Basin

Location Name or Route

Tele Gold

Weather

Sky

Clear

Wind Direction

North

Wind Speed

Light

Weather Comments

It was a beautiful sunny day in Gold Basin. Temps felt like they were hovering right around freezing and there was not much wind to speak off.

Snow Characteristics

New Snow Depth

New Snow Density

Low

Snow Surface Conditions

Powder

Damp

Snow Characteristics Comments

The new snow the mountains received over the past couple days was a welcome refresh for our meager snow pack. The snow from the most recent storm cycle was not wind effected down in the basin and made for great skiing. On our way out of the basin we experienced plenty of damp snow in areas that face south and west.

Red Flags

Cracking

Poor Snowpack Structure

Red Flags Comments

Things felt relatively stable in tele gold, but I think that is because it has seen plenty of skier compaction over the long dry spell we had as well as some sluffing from the cliffs above. Pole probing on the way into the basin revealed plenty of loose sugary snow below the blanket of new snow. We experienced some localized cracking in the new snow towards the top of tele gold. The cracking only ran 2-3 meters. I think this was mostly due to the fact that the new snow slab was sitting on top of an old very hard wind slab. I would think that if we had been in an area where the new snow was sitting on top of the January facets then we would have experienced a much larger shooting crack as well as collapsing.

Avalanche Problem #1

Problem

New Snow

Trend

Same

Problem #1 Comments

If the winds pick up as predicted over the next couple days we should see some wind slabs form on the leeward side of slopes and ridges.

Avalanche Problem #2

Problem

Persistent Weak Layer

Trend

Same

Problem #2 Comments

The snow pack from earlier in the year is very week and feels like it is faceted all the way through. If we see more snow over the next week I would expect to see a decent avalanche cycle as more weight is added to what is already on the ground.

Today's Observed Danger Rating

Moderate

Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating

Moderate

Coordinates

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