Moab Avalanche Advisory

Forecaster: Dave Medara

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Sledders! Please keep the road below the Geyser Pass Winter trailhead parking lot lot open. You can park below the sled hill but DON'T BLOCK THE ROAD! If incidents and inconsiderate behaviour continue below the sled hill the Forest Service may have to close this area to parking. The Forest Service has had a lot of complaints.


BOTTOM LINE

Danger by aspect and elevation on slopes approaching 35° or steeper.
(click HERE for tomorrow's danger rating)


Danger Rose Tutorial

MODERATE Hazard of Avalanches in the Mountains of SE Utah on above treeline shady side slopes. Good snow conditions becoming more difficult to find as we move farther away from our last snowfall and winds continue to strafe the mountains. Lower elevation north facing slopes hold the best bet for good snow, but also the most avalanche danger. On a year like this, with so many accidents, make an informed and conservative decision in your terrain choice.


CURRENT CONDITIONS

The good skiing and riding in SE Utah is getting more difficult to find as winds take their toll on the snow conditions. Think north facing below treeline. Sad but true. We need more snow. The current high pressure has dropped our percentage of normal snow fall to 117% in the La Sals and 122% in the Abajos. These aren't bad numbers, but it is time to reset the etch-a-sketch. The N. Woods are pretty tracked up.

The road to the Geyser Pass trailhead is plowed nicely, but it is getting slick so keep the speed down. The road to the Dark Canyon winter trailhead on the East side of the La Sals has also been plowed. Thank You San Juan County.

LUNA was up Tuesday and groomed into Gold Basin and the Lower Nordic Loops. Conditions are firm and the track is in really good shape.


RECENT ACTIVITY

No recent activity. Click on the La Sal avalanche list button in the left margin of the page for avi data archive.


THREAT #1

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 48 hours.

Link to the U.S. Avalanche danger scale here: utahavalanchecenter.org/education/dangerscale

Winds continue to move snow around in the mountains of SE Utah with several periods of 30 - 40 mph hourly averages and gusts to 60+. Winds have been primarily out of the NW for the last few days. Upper elevation, downwind areas above treeline are most suspect for avalanche activity in the form of pockety, localized wind slabs. Be careful as we branch out further into the backcountry in search of good snow.


THREAT #2

WHERE PROBABILITY SIZE TREND
      Over the next 48 hours.

While the likelihood of triggering a deep slab avalanche continues to decline, there is still a possibility of triggering one of these monsters. A pit dug in the Coyote chute last Friday revealed the likely culprit - a  bridging slab of strong  snow over very weak basal faceted grains. This is the classic set-up for deep slabs. A large deep slab avalanche was released in Telluride last week and our snowpacks are very similar. While unlikey, this avalanche danger has big consequences. Borrowing from Brett at the UAC, we're calling the danger of these slides "scary moderate" where the likelihood of triggering an avalanche isn't great, but the consequences of triggering one are.


MOUNTAIN WEATHER

La Sal Mountain Weather for 10,000 ft:  Hi and Dry thru the Weekend. Warm.

This Afternoon: Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. West southwest wind around 5 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 22. North northwest wind around 5 mph. Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. North wind around 5 mph becoming west southwest. Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 20. North northeast wind around 5 mph. Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 35. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 20. Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. Friday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 22. Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 39. Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23. Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 40. Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 17. M.L.King Day: Sunny, with a high near 40.


GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our yearly AIARE level I avalanche course will be held this year from Friday, January 30th - Sunday February 1st. Proceeds from this class go directly to the Friends of La Sal Avalanche Center and help pay for the forecasting and education services provided by the Center. Please call Dave or Max 435-636-3363 to sign up for the class or get more information.

There will be a Grand County Search and Rescue Training at the Geyser Pass Winter TH on Saturday morning,  Jan 17th at 9:00. Snowmobiles, Beacon Use and Avalanche rescue are main topics. See you SAR members there. Anyone interested in Joining the Grand County Winter rescue Team should contact Steve Young at 435-719-2526.


This information does not apply to developed ski areas or highways where avalanche control is normally done.  This advisory is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This advisory describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.


This advisory provided by the USDA Forest Service, in partnership with:

The Friends of the Utah Avalanche Center, Utah Division of State Parks and Recreation, Utah Division of Emergency Management, Salt Lake County, Salt Lake Unified Fire Authority and the friends of the La Sal Avalanche Center. See our Sponsors Page for a complete list.