Dave and I will be at the Geyser Pass Trailhead today from 9:00 - 11:00 as part of the UAC's Trailhead Avalanche Awareness Program. Stop in and say hi!
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.
Geyser Pass Road: The road is plowed and widened with a snow packed surface.
Grooming: Trails were groomed on Monday.
24 Hour Snow 0" 72 Hour Snow 0" Season Total Snow 186" Base Depth at Gold Basin 68"
Winds on Pre Laurel Peak SSE 20 Temp 20F
Weather
Skies are clear this morning and temps are about 10 degrees warmer than this time yesterday. A ridge of high pressure moves east as a cut off low slides down the Pacific Coast bringing us under the influence of SW flow. Look for increasing clouds later today, breezy, southerly winds, and high temps in the low to mid 30's at 10,000'. Sunday should be mostly sunny before the low moves inland across southern AZ with a chance for snow developing for our area on Monday. Another stronger system follows on Tues-Wed.
General Conditions
In my travels to the Abajos yesterday, I found the full gamut of wind affected surfaces from crusted, to hard wind board, textured
sastrugi, and finally, hard slabs of wind drifted snow. Local reports from the La Sals are of the same and it's getting harder to find areas with soft snow. Hard slabs formed on Wednesday are now mostly stuck in place but you may still be able to trigger one somewhere in wind affected terrain. Isolated, or "pockety" in nature, hard slabs of wind drifted snow are most easily detected by their hollow sound or feel. Mostly shallow, they won't likely bury you but they could sweep you off your feet or carry you over a cliff. South facing slopes are either firm or breakable crust. They'll get soft and slushy as the day progresses.
Snowpack and Weather Data
