Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Moab Area Mountains Issued by Eric Trenbeath for Saturday - February 10, 2018 - 7:13am
bottom line

The avalanche danger is MODERATE today in steep terrain right around treeline and above that faces NW-N-E. Human triggered, persistent slab avalanches up to 3' deep, failing on weak, sugary, faceted snow near the ground are possible in these areas. Look for a rising danger later this afternoon as additional snow, and new wind deposits are added to the fragile snowpack in these areas.




special announcement

https://utahavalanchecenter.org/observations/36601Episode 3 of the UAC podcast is live. We talk with UDOT Avalanche Program Supervisor Bill Nalli on how he and his teams keep the Greatest Snow on Earth from avalanching over the open roads and highways of the state. Check it out on ITunes, Stitcher, the UAC blog, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The UAC Marketplace is online. The holiday auction is closed, but our online marketplace still has deals on skis, packs, airbag packs, beacons, snowshoes, soft goods and much more.

current conditions

Tuesday's storm brought a much needed dose of around 6" of low density snow to the mountains making for a slight improvement in conditions, and bringing our meager base to within striking distance for off trail skiing and riding. But the bottom line is, we still need a good dump. Coverage now ranges from around 16" to up to 3' in favored locations. A few diehards have ventured off into the woods, but deadfall and ground obstacles are still a serious issue. The strong sun and warm temperatures have affected the snow on exposed aspects.

Clouds have moved into the area and WSW winds are on the increase averaging 20 mph with gusts to 30 along ridge tops. It's 32 degrees at Geyser Pass Trailhead and 22 on Pre Laurel Peak.

Base depth at Geyser Pass Trailhead: 14"

Base depth in Gold Basin: 23"

New snow totals in Gold Basin.

Snow totals at the Geyser Pass Trailhead, (9600')

Wind, temperature, and humidity on Pre Laurel Peak (11,700')

Road conditions to Geyser Pass Trailhead: The road is snowpacked and passable. 4wd and good tires are required.

Grooming conditions: Matt groomed all trails and set classic track on Wednesday.

Skiing and riding in the woods is still a risky proposition.

Upper elevation, north facing terrain is finally starting to look like it has a enough snow for turning. The problem is, this is precisely the kind of terrain where you could find avalanche problems. More on that below. Dave Garcia photo.

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

Weak snow at the ground continues to plague our snowpack. Areas of unstable snow exist on steep, NW-N-E facing slopes right around treeline and above and human triggered avalanches up to 3' deep remain possible in these areas. Look for a rise in danger later today as additional snow load makes triggering one these slides more likely.

weather

A storm system dropping down from the north will bring us some snow later today. 3"-5" are possible.


general announcements

The UAC has new support programs with Outdoor Research and Darn Tough. Support the UAC through your daily shopping. When you shop at Smith's, or online at Outdoor Research, REI, Backcountry.com, Darn Tough, Patagonia, NRS, Amazon, eBay a portion of your purchase will be donated to the FUAC. See our Donate Page for more details on how you can support the UAC when you shop.

Benefit the Utah Avalanche Center when you buy or sell on eBay - set the Utah Avalanche Center as a favorite non-profit in your eBay account here and click on eBay gives when you buy or sell. You can choose to have your seller fees donated to the UAC, which doesn't cost you a penny

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.