Snow has yet to arrive in SE Utah, and for that reason we are letting Friday night's forecast ride, with an updated weather forecast. Snow totals and avalanche danger unchanged, but watch new snow totals, Any new snow will cause a spike in the avalanche hazard as we load VERYWEAKold surface and near-surface snow structures.

Wind. Some good skiing and riding CANbe found if you are willing to snoop around or go waaaaaay skiers left in the N. Woods. Getting tracked up in there so it will be nice if and when this snow ever arrives! We really need it. Lot's of wind stripping and wind damage out there. Unwilling to drop the avalanche danger below MODERATE on mid and upper elevation E-NE-NW facing slopes due to winds yesterday and this past week. Localized pockets of wind slab exist. Human triggered avalanches still possible in upper Alpine areas. Expect this danger to increase greatly with new snow. It is still progged to arrive today....

Our snowpack totals have slipped to below 100% of normal in the La Sals (108%in the Abajos) and driving up from the south you can really appreciate that fact. The La Sals look really barren. With the bulk of our SE Utah snowpack having fallen in December, the wind and sun have had a lot of time to work on the sunny slopes we see from the highway and from Moab. What is surprising is the great quality snow we found on the North Face of Abajo Peak on Thursday. On a short tour up North Canyon in the Blue Mountains out of Monticello, we found good creamy powder skiing in nicely spaced trees on a steep NW facing slope. What we found was better than expected and more of this type of skiing can be found if you head out to the right locations which are, as usual, mid elevation E-NE-NW facing slopes. If you're looking for something different, check your map out and go check out the Abajos. There is easy access, some really good terrain and new snow (hopefully) on the way. The old Blue Mountain ski resort is a great tour and that's just the start. San Juan County is quick to plow access along the Blue Mountain loop road as well. As of this afternoon, we'd only had a trace of new snow and our Gold Basin study plot stands at 38 inches. You can still find good snow in the North Wood s too.

The roads to the Geyser Pass Trailhead and the Dark Canyon Trailhead are plowed and in great shape providing access for 2wd vehicles. If we get any of the forecast snow today, access will no doubt be tougher.

LUNA volunteers groomed the the Geyser Pass Road Friday and the Upper Nordic Loop on the East side of the pass. Good job Michael and Tony.

We'll be watching closely as the snow piles up into next week. I expect some action depending on our snow/wind totals.

Mountain Weather for SE Utah at 10,000 ft:

Today: Snow likely before 11am, then snow and areas of blowing snow after 11am. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 27. Windy, with a south southeast wind around 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches possible. Tonight: Snow and areas of blowing snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 24. Windy, with a south southwest wind between 20 and 30 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches possible. Monday: Snow likely, mainly after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 26. Breezy, with a south southwest wind between 20 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. Monday Night: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a low around 10. South wind between 5 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible. Tuesday: Snow likely. Cloudy, with a high near 20. North wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Tuesday Night: A 40 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 10.