Abajos

We will not be issuing daily forecasts with danger ratings this season. We simply do not have enough information for this level of detail. We will be keeping an eye on the snowpack and will post a detatiled summary of conditions on Saturday mornings. Mid-week updates will be provided as weather conditions dictate.

Storm totals from last week range from 6" in lower North Creek to up to 10" near the pass. Dry conditions remain in place for our region through next week.

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

Matt Cozart was up on Tuesday and wrote this excellent report on the current snowpack conditions. The bottom line is that the overall snowpack structure is poor. Weak, faceted snow exists in the lower pack. This problem has been compounded by recent wind loading. Strong winds today will blow and drift snow and create fresh slabs above treeline. Avoid steep slopes that show signs of recent wind drifting. Wind drifts are recognizable by their smooth, rounded appearance, and cracking is a sign of instability. Wind drifts form on the leeward sides of ridge crests and terrain features such as gully walls and subridges. Another red flag sign of instability is collapsing, or whumphing. This indicates that the underlying poor snowpack structure is incapable of supporting the weight of the overlying snow. If you observe this, you know you have an unstable situation and steep terrain should be avoided.

In most cases, snow cover is still a little too thin to access avalanche terrain, but all steep, wind drifted slopes that have enough snow to ride are suspect, and human triggered avalanches are possible in these areas.

If you are getting up into the Abajos, please let us know what you see out there.

For more on the current state of the snowpack, see the video below.

If you are getting out in the backcountry, we'd love to hear what you're seeing. Please submit observations 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.