Observation: Moab

Observation Date
3/24/2018
Observer Name
Kennard, Ament
Region
Moab
Location Name or Route
Horse Creek Area
Weather
Sky
Overcast
Wind Direction
Southeast
Wind Speed
Strong
Weather Comments
It was an overcast day up in the mountain today with steady winds and strong gusts out of the southeast. The Gold basin and Geyser weather stations showed temps above freezing for most of the day, but the lack of sun, constant wind and blowing snow felt like full on winter during our tour. We kept things below treeline today to try to mitigate the blowing snow and wind.
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Wind Crust
Damp
Snow Characteristics Comments

It was obvious that the snow from Fridays storm was wet and heavy, similar to what you would find in the northeast or northwest, however it seemed like it dried out overnight and we were pleasantly surprised to find soft creamy snow on most aspects. We skied a southwest facing slope in Pinto glades before heading north over the ridge to find some protection from the wind. The snow in Pinto was supportable "carvable powder" (best description we could come up with) that provided good turns, however the snow transported by the wind was starting to create thin slabs in leeward areas. The snow on the north side was dense powder that provided some fantastic turns in the top few inches of the snow pack. We found 65 cm of snow in sheltered areas with dense supportable snow on top of a bottom layer of facets.

Red Flags
Red Flags
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
Plenty of snow was being blown onto the leeward side of ridges and our persistant slab problem was obvious if you pushed your pole through to the bottom of the snow pack.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Trend
Increasing Danger
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Trend
Same
Problem #2 Comments

We still have a shallow snow pack with a dense slab sitting on top of a weak faceted layer at ground level. The snow appears to be bridging well over the facets, but if you were to find the weak spot on a steep north facing slope you could trigger a slide down to ground level and would take a nasty bumpy ride with the entire seasons snow pack.

Today's Observed Danger Rating
Moderate
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate