La Sal Mountain Snow Report 12-22-18

Greetings from beautiful Moab! We have been soaking up the sun for the past 2 weeks, how about you? Not much in the way of fresh snow and backcountry skiing yet, but the cross-country skiing and sledding has been absolutely fantastic!

We are open everyday from 8am to 9pm at 300 S Main and are Moab’s Winter Sports Headquarters. Sleds, tubes, skis, ski wax, snowboards, snowshoes, handwarmers, goggles, sunscreen, snow boots, clothing, and everything else you need to enjoy winter in Moab. Don’t forget about our HUGE sale too. 30% OFF many NEW items throughout the store like plastic edge Nordic skis, Paco Pads and Jack’s Plastic Drybags, Bedrock Sandals, Suncloud Sunglasses, Alps packs and sleeping bags, Moab Gear Trader Logo hats, Rafters Sandals, and so much more. Come in and check it out!

Full moon rising through the aspens in the La Sal Mountains

It hasn’t snowed in a few weeks and the snowpack shows it. Lower elevation or sun exposed slopes are even melted to the ground in a few places. Backcountry skiing is possible, but many hazards exists due to the shallow snow. Utah Avalanche Center is reporting 28″ of snow in Gold Basin. The Snowtel sight below the beginner meadow is reporting 10 inches of snow on the ground and 56% of average snow water equivalent. If you look at the graph below, you will see that we are still MUCH better off than last year.

Roads

Road conditions are great! The La Sal Loop Road is clear and Geyser Pass Road is snowpacked and starting to melt out in a few spots. In fact, it is mud and slush in the afternoon. Be aware there is no berm built up yet so be careful on the edges.

Grooming

The Nordic trails were groomed into Gold Basin on Thursday and Geyser Pass on Friday. Thanks LUNA! We have not heard when the next groom will occur.

This individual who drove their truck on the groomed Nordic trail should come in the shop and take advantage of the Cross-country skis that are 30% OFF! Then they could ski and wouldn’t have to damage the hard work LUNA’s volunteers have contributed to improving winter recreation and our home a better place to live. We also have snowshoes, snowboards and sleds if they would prefer that method of traveling over snow. Anything but vandalizing our winter trail system! Not only is it childish and disrespectful, it’s also illegal from December 15th on.

Weather

Point forecast for 10,000′ in the La Sal Mountains

We have nice weather today with highs in the upper 20s until a storm moves in on Sunday night and another on Tuesday. The Christmas storm should give our snowpack a well needed refresher, but storm total forecasts have not been published yet. Moab isn’t forecast to receive any precipitation till Christmas Day, and that is a 20% chance mix of rain and snow. Highs in the 40s all weekend so don’t hesitate to get outside and enjoy it!

Avalanche & Backcountry

As always, please check in with our own Moab Area Avalanche Forecast.

There you will find current avalanche, weather, road, and grooming information as well.

One Final Note

Beware of this barb wire laying on the ground near the trail head. It will become quite a hazard to kids and dogs and even grown-ups once it is hidden by snow. Help us remember to yank it out next summer!