Abajos

15 inches of new snow and strong winds have elevated the avalanche danger in the Abajo Mountains. Avalanches involving fresh slabs of new and wind drifted snow are possible on all aspects at mid and upper elevations with the greatest likelihood found on steep, northerly facing slopes.

A remote possibility also remains for triggering a deep avalanche on a weak layer of sugary, faceted snow at the base of the snowpack. You are most likely to encounter this problem on very steep, northerly facing slopes that have a shallower snowpack.

Have you been hearing how cell phones and such can interfere with your avalanche beacon? The "20/50 Rule" is that you want your beacon 20cm (8") away from other electronics while transmitting and 50cm (20") away from electronics while searching. Get the full scoop here.

Snow totals and temps at Buckboard Flat (8924')

Snow totals and temps at Camp Jackson (8858')

Snowpack Summary and General Conditions

Conditions are greatly improved as a recent storm brought more than a foot of new snow to the mountains. This has resulted in a spike in the avalanche danger and human triggered avalanches are possible to likely on steep slopes, especially where wind drifted. Backcountry travelers should avoid slopes steeper than 30 degrees today.

If you are getting out in the backcountry, we'd love to hear what you're seeing. Please submit observations here. For the most recent snowpack observations click here. You can also send an email to [email protected] or give me a call with anything noteworthy, especially avalanches! 801-647-8896

This forecast is from the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, which is solely responsible for its content. This forecast describes general avalanche conditions and local variations always occur.