Abajos

15 inches of new snow and strong winds have created a rising avalanche danger in the Abajo Mountains. Fresh slabs of wind drifted snow are possible on all aspects at mid and upper elevations.

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.

An active period will bring snow to the mountains starting today and lasting through Wednesday.

NWS Forecast for the Abajo Mountains

Snow totals and temps at Buckboard Flat (8924')

Snow totals and temps at Camp Jackson (8858')

Snowpack Summary and General Conditions

In his travels to the Abajos on Friday, Eric found the full gamut of wind affected surfaces from crusted, to hard wind board, textured sastrugi, and finally, hard slabs of wind drifted snow. Conditions should be greatly improved by 15 inches of new snow in the last 72 hours. Buckboard Flat is showing 11 inches in the past 24 hours. The skiing and riding should be great, but the avalanche danger is on the rise. The new snow came with strong winds that will create sensitive slabs of wind drifted snow on all aspects at mid and upper elevations. Backcountry travelers need to be on the lookout and avoid slopes that appear fat, round, and smooth. Cracking in the snow is a sure sign you have found a fresh wind drift.

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.