Moab Winter Condition Report for Friday, December 10th, 2021.  Brought to you since 2014 by Moab Gear Trader.

Howdy from cold and wet Moab!  Yesterday was quite the change from the last 30 days!  It rained all day totaling somewhere around .4”.  Snow levels appear to be around 6500’.  

Mountain Conditions

We were fortunate enough to receive 18” of snow last night in Gold Basin, which brings our base up to 32”  Overnight we went from a 15% snow pack to a 92% of average snowpack.  Statistics can work like that!  One more storm could send us way over 100%, or it might not snow for 2 weeks (we’ve seen it!) and we’ll be back to scary low numbers again.  

 

If you are eager to get sliding, don’t ruin your season on a rock or stump!  Take it easy, turn gently, and keep speeds in check.  Falling now could mean hitting stumps and rocks.  Looking for a way to enjoy the snow with virtually no risk of injury OR avalanches?  Give Nordic skiing a try, we have a great selection of gear right now to get you outside and sliding.  

SNOW TOTALS – Updated 12/10/21 – 7am 

  • Gold Basin 10,000′ (source: UAC – DONATE TODAY!)
    • Base:  32”      24 hr: 18”   
  • Camp Jackson 8900′ (source: UAC – DONATE TODAY!)
    • Base:  11”      24 hr: 11“
  • Alta (source: Ski Utah)
    • Base:  48”      24 hr: 19″
  • Telluride (source: onthesnow.com)
    • Base:  22”      24 hr: 15″
  • Powderhorn (source: onthesnow.com)
    • Base:  28”      24 hr: 20″
  • Snow Water Equivalent – % of Normal

GROOMING:  

ROADS:(let us know if we should update these!)

  • Geyser Pass Road – Plowing Today
  • Loop Road – Plowing Today

Avalanche Conditions

On the note of avalanches, they can be a significant risk in the La Sals, especially if you venture into terrain steeper than 30 degrees.  BUT, you can play in the snow all day long with ZERO risk.  Just stick to the trails and low angle meadows.  If you enjoy the steeper terrain, hopefully you already are aware of our amazing local avalanche forecast.  You can also find weather, road, and grooming information at the Utah Avalanche Center Moab Area Forecast. Don’t head out without first checking in there, and then following all of your safe travel training.  Don’t have any?  What’s avalanche terrain?  If you have questions like this, we encourage you to learn!  UAC hosts on many classes, and there are numerous books available in our shop as well as countless resources online.  Please, be safe out there!

 

Batteries for Beacons runs through Dec 19. Get free batteries for your transceiver and a chance to win 1 of 16 Black Diamond Rescue Kits, 1 of 3 Mammut Barryvox transceivers, or 1 of 3 BCA Tracker transceivers. Stop in at Moab Gear Trader, fill out our survey and get a free set of batteries. Don’t need batteries, but still want a chance to win? Simply fill out the survey to be registered.

Desert Conditions

Moab precipitation – .4” last 24hrs

 

The moisture from the last few days of storms has closed most of the mountain bike trails.  Cold temps have pushed out all but the hardiest of campers.  It’s a wonderful time to explore areas that are too hot or busy in the warmer months.  Dress with the right layers and the cold is not even a factor.  Stop by the shop for pro tips from our team.  You can be sure they are still out playing, at least when the sun is shining.

 

Check out mountain bike trail conditions from Poison Spyder. 

Weather Conditions

That was a nice change from the “severe clear” we’ve been enjoying for the past month.  As much as we love the sun, we need water!  Now that the front has passed, we can expect clearing skies and COLD temperatures tonight and tomorrow.  

 

4000’ Moab forecast. – Today is forecast for 38 degrees, and we should see 14 degrees tonight, and a high of 34 tomorrow. But highs return to the mid 40s for Sunday, as well as the sunshine, and we should be back in the 50s by Tuesday

10,000’ La Sal Forecast – A frigid 11 degrees is all you will get for troubles if you are going to chase the plow up today.  Dropping down to single digits tonight, and warming into the 20s tomorrow with full sun all weekend.  Sounds like bluebird skiing to us!

This brings our SWE equivalent to 92% in the La sals and 83% in the Abajo mountains.  The black line below is this year, and the green line is median.  This is located just below the parking lot and shows how the earlier snow had melted back to the ground.  (graph credit: www.nrcs.usda.gov)

Here is a look at total precip (snow & rain) for the same location.  THis shows us at 137%, which is great news for everyone and everything. 

So where did all that rain end up?  Well, surely some of it came down our creeks, but thankfully, plenty of it soaked into the ground.  THis next graph shows the soil moisture up there at 116% of median.  This actually can help increase runoff since the melting snow in the spring will not be able to soak into the already saturated soil.  If the snow falls on dusty dry dirt, a significant part of the runoff is absorbed into the soil.

Road Conditions

Geyser pass is scheduled to be plowed today.  Don’t forget, the road will be closed during operations.  We’ll update our website when we hear they are finished. 

 

Around the region, higher elevations have some ice and snow on the roads in higher elevations like Monticello and La Sal.  Expect clearing rods in a few hours as the sun rises a little higher.  

 

Highway 46 Near La Sal, Ut:

Downtown Monticello:

Store Conditions

Our shelves are full and we are open late for all of your holiday shopping needs.  Shopping local keeps the dollars in our valley and circulates many times through our community.  We appreciate all of our customers this year!  Not sure what to get?  Then our gift cards are the perfect choice, available in any denomination.  

Now is the best time to try a new winter sport.  Try Nordic skiing at Geyser Pass, but be sure to read our Cross Country Ski Guide.  Or maybe snowshoeing in snowy meadows on the Trans-La Sal trail.  We  have a Beginners Guide to Snowshoieng on our website too!

As always, we will be open 8am to 9pm EVERY day this holiday season.  Shopping local has so many positive benefits for our community.  For every dollar spent in a locally owned business, $.55 stays right here in Utah. That’s four times more  money than if that same dollar was spent at a national retailer.  Read more at localfirst.org

We truly appreciate when you spend your money locally.  Have a wonderful weekend!