Moab

Most terrain has generally LOW danger. Small avalanches on isolated terrain features are possible. This time of year small avalanches can take you for a rough and rocky ride given our shallow early-season snowpack.

Conditions remain very thin, and rocks, stumps, and logs lurk below the surface everywhere. There still isn't enough snow for real turning and riding. Exercise extreme caution getting around.

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.

Geyser Pass Road Conditions: The road has been plowed but the surface is snowpacked and slick. All wheel drive and good tires recommended.

Grooming: The Geyser Pass road above the trailhead will close to vehicles on Dec 15. Grooming will commence after that.

Saturday, December 13 - Moab Winter Kick Off Party at the MARC Bring your skis or board to wax, listen to live music, and bring in another winter season with our local community. Tickets available online now!

Friday, January 30 - Saturday, January 31 - Moab Backcountry 101 Class - Our annual local backcountry avalanche class. Click here for information and registration. Moab and Monticello locals can use the discount code MOAB-LOCAL for a 10% discount.

No recent avalanches have been observed. Click here for the complete avalanche database.

24 Hour Snow: 0" 72 Hour Snow: 0" Season Total Snow: 21" Depth at Gold Basin: 15"

Winds on Pre-Laurel Peak: NW 19-25 Temp: 28° F

Weather

It is a warm 28°F under clear skies this morning in Gold Basin. Another sunny day is on tap, with a high temperature of around 39°F at 10,000 feet. Strong winds blowing out of the northwest will continue their onslaught today. Wind speeds in the valley bottoms will average 10-15 MPH with gusts up to 20 MPH, and winds above 11,500 feet will average 20 MPH with gusts up to 30 MPH. The extended forecast looks bleak, with high pressure, sunny skies, and daytime highs 10 to 15 degrees above normal.

General Conditions

Saturday's wind event did a fair amount of damage to exposed terrain. Winds blowing from the northwest have been on a rampage once again. Winds have been blowing in the moderate to strong range for the past 72 hours. In my travels on Tuesday, I observed little to no snow transport despite the strong winds. It appears that Saturday's wind event fully scoured the windward slopes, leaving very little snow available for transport. Snow surface conditions are currently a mixed bag, with sun crusts and spring-like snow developing on the solars. The highest quality turns are found on sheltered northerly slopes near treeline, but options are limited due to low snow conditions. The average height of snow is about 12 - 24 inches.

The overall avalanche hazard has dropped to low. Our last significant storm was on November 30th. This storm dropped 9 inches of snow with around an inch of snow water equivalent (SWE). The storm snow formed a very soft slab that fell on top of weak, faceted snow and caused a short-lived avalanche cycle. A series of cold, clear nights has weakened the overlying slab due to diurnal recrystallization. At this point, the old slab is weak and faceted, just like the snow beneath it. Of course, low danger doesn't mean no danger. Weak snow is widespread, and strong winds have been blowing out of the northwest for three days. You may find old hard wind drifts or recent soft drifts in isolated areas of steep, leeward terrain.

Wind-ravaged terrain in the high country near Manns Peak (Trenbeath photo). Eric covered a lot of ground on Sunday and produced this video below.

Snowpack and Weather Data

NEW! Gold Basin webcam storm stake

Gold Basin Storm Stake (10,000')

Gold Basin SNOTEL site (10,000')

SNOTEL site near Geyser Pass Winter Trailhead (9600')

Wind Station on Pre-Laurel Peak (11,400')

NWS forecast for the La Sal Mountains.

It's never too early to start thinking about avalanches. Here are a few things to consider doing:

• Learn online. We have over 5 hours of free online learning at the Know Before You Go website
• Check out the upcoming in-person Know Before You Go events HERE
• Sign up for an on-snow class
• Check out the UAC's education progression HERE
• Get your avalanche rescue gear ready for winter. Put fresh batteries in your transceiver and update the firmware. Inspect your shovel and probe. Get your airbag backpack ready by possibly doing a test deployment and updating the firmware if it is an electric version or getting your canister refilled if it's not electronic.