Advisory: Abajo Area Mountains | utahavalanchecenter.org

Avalanche Advisory

Advisory: Abajo Area Mountains	Issued by Eric Trenbeath for Sunday - December 18, 2016 - 7:02am

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An isolated or MODERATE avalanche danger exists in extreme upper elevations where recently deposited wind slabs overly a weak and shallow snowpack. Elsewhere the avalanche danger is generally LOW.

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current conditions

Winter has finally made an appearance in the Abajo/Blue Mountains with up to a foot of new snow falling at the upper elevations, but It's still pretty thin coverage with a lot of grass and bushes poking out, even up high. Less than a foot of snow total exists on the ground at the Dalton Springs Trailhead, and by large, travel off the road is still not advisable. Strong winds also impacted the area during the storm, and numerous trees are down across the road up to North Creek Pass.

It's cold up there this morning with temperatures in the single digits and a chilly northwest wind blowing 10-15 mph along the ridge tops.

After making it around and over numerous down trees in the North Creek Road, this finally shut me down.

Still pretty thin up there.

But that didn't stop Todd and Randy from going for it!

Avalanche Problem 1

type	aspect/elevation	characteristics
		LIKELIHOOD LIKELY UNLIKELY SIZE LARGE SMALL TREND INCREASING DANGER SAME DECREASING DANGER over the next 24 hours
description Isolated wind slabs exist in upper elevation, wind exposed terrain. The shallowness of the snow pack is preventing connectivity, and wind slabs are small and localized. Triggered drifts would not run far, and generally don't pose much of a problem but they do exist. Extreme upper elevations pose the greatest danger.

Avalanche Problem 2

type	aspect/elevation	characteristics
		LIKELIHOOD LIKELY UNLIKELY SIZE LARGE SMALL TREND INCREASING DANGER SAME DECREASING DANGER over the next 24 hours
description The existing snow pack is very weak, and the new snow load is producing whumping and collapsing as it settles on the buried weak layers. But again, the shallowness of the pack, and the relative lack of connectivity, is making the danger very isolated at this point. Extreme upper elevation slopes that face the north half of the compass pose the greatest danger.