Introduction:
Good morning, this is Max Forgensi with the To see past advisories check out the ARCHIVE. To see current conditions go to our WEATHER PAGE. To see photos go to the AVIPHOTOS page. Please give us your observations from
the field HERE. The more observations we get, the
better this forecast can be. We’ve re-scheduled our
Level I American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education Course for
March 2-4 here in |
General Conditions: Yesterday was an incredible day to get
into the backcountry. No winds,
warm temperatures and great coverage made for a great tour. By 13:00, the sun was so intense on
West aspects that the 6” of fresh powder was already changing. Skins were glopping up on the way
out. You will definitely find
some great turns on North through East aspects where the sun has yet to rear
its rays while on West through South aspects the time to get it was yesterday…there
might be a chance to farm some powder in the upper reaches of these
aspects. L.U.N.A. was
up Monday. I groomed the meadow
loop for all the skate skiers on Tuesday. Mark
your calendars for the Lasaloppet on March 24th! The Grand County Road Department plowed
the road yesterday and its in great shape although 4WD is recommended. Mountain Weather: (At 10,500’) Today:
Mostly sunny, with
a high near 35. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph. |
Weather Station/ Location |
Snow Depth (HS):
in./cm |
New Snow (HN) in./cm |
|
Current Observations:
Wind, 48 hour snow |
Geyser
Pass Trailhead (9,600’): (snotel link) |
25.4” |
0” |
25.2 |
6” of fresh Mon night! |
|
46”/115 |
0 |
N/a |
Powder! |
|
46”/115 |
0 |
n/a |
Great skiing conditions |
N/a |
N/a |
19 |
Winds out of
the W at 14 gusts to 26 |
Avalanche Conditions: (Link to the
International Avalanche Danger Scale here)
– The La Sal Mountain’s
were eerily quiet yesterday when it came to avalanche activity. There was one tiny failure in Exxon’s
Folly…that’s it. You could tell
that all of the alpine bowls were wind-loaded, but not loaded enough. There are plenty of weaknesses within
the snow pack. Telluride had
numerous avalanches fail on old snow surfaces yesterday & quite big. What we are waiting for is a
trigger: new snow, more wind
loading (or a combination of the two) or a HUMAN TRIGGER. For the next two days, human triggered
avalanches will be possible, while natural avalanches will be unlikely. The BOTTOM LINE for today will be an
AVALANCE DANGER of MODERATE. Be extra careful on at & above
tree-line N-NE-E aspects where trigger points and bad consequences exist. In the afternoon, the warm weather
will promote wet loose point releases on West through South aspects. |