The Geyser Pass Road has not been plowed. The La Sal Loop road has not been plowed yet. Road conditions are icy and treacherous. Happy New Year!

The BOTTOMLINE for today in the Abajo and La Sal Mountains is an avalanche danger of Considerable, with pockets of HIGHon steep NW-N-NE aspects at and above treeline. Avoid crossing the runout zones of avalanche paths, as there is plenty of snow for transport and there is still a potential for natural avalanches. If heading out in the backcountry today, bring plenty of warm fluids and clothes...more than likely just getting there will be an epic.

Artic air has settled over the forecast area in the wake of a storm that blanketed the La Sal and Abajo mountains with almost two feet of snow. Pre-Laurel Peak is registering a temperature of -12F at 7:00 am, the Geyser Pass TH is at -2.0 F while down in the Abajos it is currently 2.5F. Strong southerly winds during the storm has transported massive amounts of snow onto northerly aspects. The winds have certainly died down since the frontal passage with Pre-Laurel Peak's weather station reporting almost no wind for the past 6 hours. If you can make it to the trailhead and brave the cold air, there is great skiing and riding conditions...of course there is a significant avalanche hazard to deal with as well.

There was limited visibility during December 30th's tour, the only avalanche to note was the last road cut on the Geyser Pass road. There was plenty of collapsing and settling on the tour, and test slopes produced propagating cracks in the new snow. The La Sal's picked up almost 2" of snow water equivalent, while the Abajos near 3". With this much new weight, combined with wind, another spectacular natural avalanche cycle occurred and there will be areas that are waiting for the stress of a snowmobiler or skier to release.

Today: Snow. High near 9. Wind chill values as low as -10. North northwest wind between 5 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. Tonight: A 20 percent chance of snow. Partly cloudy, with a low around -7. Wind chill values as low as -15. West northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. New Year's Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 12. Wind chill values as low as -15. Southwest wind between 5 and 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.