Incident

Avalanche: Mill Hollow

Craig Gordon/Shaun RaskinUintas
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Quick report

Slope Angle
37°

Avalanche

Slab Width
30 m
Weak Layer
Facets
Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
183 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
46 cm
Trigger Detail
Remotely Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Northwest
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Start Zone Elevation
2560 m

Craig and Shaun take a look at Saturday's slide. A very experienced crew with decades of backcountry knowledge and safe travel practices were surprised (as was I) by a slide they triggered mid-slope, on a low elevation (8600'), northwest facing slope in the Mill Hollow zone.

Breaking about 18" deep and 100' wide, the slide failed on a layer of weak, sugary, near surface facets formed on 1/23 and buried during last weeks storms.

Even a small avy is powerful enough to break a Quaky.

Looking downslope from a 37 degree starting zone

Incident

Number Caught
1
Number Carried
1
Number Partly Buried
1