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Observation: Laurel Highway

Observation Date
1/4/2023
Observer Name
Garcia, Nauman
Region
Moab » Laurel Highway
Location Name or Route
Laurel Highway
Weather
Sky
Few
Wind Direction
Northwest
Wind Speed
Moderate
Snow Characteristics
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
5 star riding conditions once again. Cold temps and partial sun should keep conditions good on all aspects. Solars might have become more dense today, but I don't expect a sun crust to have formed.
Red Flags
Red Flags
Recent Avalanches
Wind Loading
Poor Snowpack Structure
Red Flags Comments
A natural avalanche occured today on the NE Face of Tuk just down from the summit around 12,300 ft. sometime between 12:15 and 1:30 PM. I spoke with a party of two that saw the dust cloud just after the slide happned. We observed moderate wind loading on this slope as we climbed up to the weather station. The slope avalanched shortly after we skied down off Pre Laurel Peak. Wind Drifted snow overloaded and broke within the recent storm snow. We observed poor snowpack structure in a SW facing pit at 11,150 ft.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Problem #1 Comments
Today was the first day with any visibility since last Thursday. With clear skies we viewed a lot of natural avalanche activity that ran towards the end of the last major loading event that took place between 12-30 and 1-2. 19" of snow fell during that period, putting us at just under 50 inches of snow and 5 inches of water since 12/27. These avalanches most likely ran on 1-2. These slides were NTL and ATL, NW-N-NE. A good hard thumping like this is just what we needed to test this weak layer. Slopes that didn't slide should be on their way to becoming more stable.
An ECT on a SW facing slope at 11,150 ft yielded no results (ECTX). Faceted grains in this pit had gained some hardness and are 4F-. Under a lense these grains were showing sings of rounding. See the profile below.
Avalanche Problem #2
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #2 Comments
We observed some loose dry avalanches in steep terrain on the North half of the compass. Slopes like Exxon's, the burned trees between Exxon's and Noriega's, and Gravel Pit had slid in the new snow.
Snow Profile
Aspect
Southwest
Elevation
11,100'
Slope Angle
30°
Photo 1: A very large avalanche in Talking Mt Cirque. (NW aspect)
Photo 2: Another large avalanche on the West end of Talking Mt Cirque. This one wrapped around the ridgline and took out Lone Pine as well. (NE aspect)
Photo 3: Large avalanches at the base of the cliffs below the summit of Tuk. Both the NE and N face avalanched.
Photo 4: A close up of the summit of Tuk. The triangular shaped crown just below the summit is the wind slab avalanche that occurred this afternoon.
All of the avalanches in the first three photos show how well connected the slab is. These avalanches are very wide and connected over ridge lines and rocky terrain features. These avalanches failed on the buried persistent weak layer that formed in November and are 4-6 feet deep.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates