Avalanche Advisory
Advisory: Moab Area Mountains Issued by Eric Trenbeath for Monday - February 12, 2018 - 7:06am
bottom line

Look for a rising avalanche danger today and through the week. The avalanche danger is MODERATE this morning but could rise to CONSIDERABLE later today in steep terrain right around treeline and above that faces W-N-E. New snow and wind loading will add additional stress to our fragile snowpack and avalanches 1- 3' deep, failing on weak, sugary, faceted snow near the ground will grow increasingly likely. Timing of the storm and snow amounts will determine the extent of the rising danger. There is also a MODERATE danger for triggering a recently formed wind slab in exposed, upper elevation terrain.




special announcement

https://utahavalanchecenter.org/observations/36601 Episode 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

Snow totals from last week totaled 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 last week's snowfall and less than a foot exists in these areas. Reed Kennard was up on Sunday and managed to find a few turns. Read his report here.

Skies are cloudy this morning and the story is the wind. Blowing from the SSE, ridge top winds have averaged 30 mph with gusts in the 50's for the last 12 hours. It's currently 26 degrees at the Geyser Pass Trailhead and 13 on Pre Laurel Peak.

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: The road is a mix of bare ground, ice and packed snow.

Grooming conditions: There are no current plans to groom ahead of the approaching storm.

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

New snow and wind loading this week will begin to test our fragile snowpack. Areas of unstable snow exist on steep, NW-N-E facing slopes right around treeline and above and avalanches from to 1-3' deep will become increasingly likely in these areas as the week progresses. Dave Garcia and I made the video below on Thursday, February 8, 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 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

A strong storm system is moving into the region. It looks like it will favor the San Juan Mountains but we should see a few inches of snow starting later today into Tuesday. Another system follows Wednesday and Thursday.


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.