Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Moab Area Mountains Issued by Eric Trenbeath for Sunday - February 11, 2018 - 6:54am
bottom line

The avalanche danger remains MODERATE today in steep terrain right around treeline and above that faces NW-N-E. Human triggered, persistent slab avalanches 1- 3' deep, failing on weak, sugary, faceted snow near the ground are possible in these areas. There is also a MODERATE danger for triggering a recently formed wind slab in exposed, upper elevation terrain. Elsewhere, the avalanche danger is generally LOW.
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

The mountains picked up 4"-6" from yesterday's fast moving storm bringing totals for the week up to around a foot. Little by little it's adding up but coverage still remains quite thin. Snow depths range from about 18"- 36" but some sun exposed slopes had been burned off to the ground prior to this last snowfall.

Skies are clear this morning and it's cold up there with temperatures in the single digits. Ridge top WNW winds blew moderate to strong yesterday afternoon and evening, but have backed off this morning to around 10 mph with gusting to 20.

Base depth at Geyser Pass Trailhead: 20"

Base depth in Gold Basin: 27"

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: Expect to find a few inches of new snow on the road this morning. 4wd and good tires are required.

Grooming conditions: Trails are covered in fresh snow and effort is being mounted to get up and groom maybe this aftenoon.

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

We've had enough snow the past week to keep the pressure on over our weak snowpack, and areas of unstable snow exist on steep, NW-N-E facing slopes right around treeline and above. Human triggered avalanches up to 1-3' deep remain possible in these areas and unfortunately, this problem doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon. Dave Garcia and I made the video below on Thursday to illustrate the current state of our snowpack.

Avalanche Problem 2
type aspect/elevation characteristics
LIKELIHOOD
LIKELY
UNLIKELY
SIZE
LARGE
SMALL
TREND
INCREASING DANGER
SAME
DECREASING DANGER
over the next 24 hours
description

Expect to find some new wind slabs on the lee sides of ridge crests and terrain features in upper elevation, wind exposed terrain. Avoid areas that have a smooth, rounded appearance, or that seem hollow under foot. A triggered wind slab also has the potential to step down creating a deeper, more dangerous, persistent slab avalanche.

weather

Dry and cooler weather will prevail today with the next system sliding into our area on Monday. It looks like we might get another decent shot of snow.

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.