Incident

Avalanche: Alta Ski Area

UAC Staff & The Snowy TorrentsSalt Lake
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Quick report

Slope Angle
42°

Avalanche

Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
457 m
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Slab Thickness
122 cm
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
North
Avalanche Problem
Cornice
Start Zone Elevation
3292 m

“The Snowy Torrents are like the Deep Sea: They seldom return their victims alive”

Narrative provided by The Snowy Torrents, courtesy of the American Avalanche Association. More information here: https://www.americanavalancheassociation.org/store

Williams, Knox (1975). The Snowy Torrents 1967-1971: Avalanche Accidents in the United States. Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station

Incident

Number Caught
7
Number Carried
4
Number Injured
1
Number Fully Buried
1
Number Partly Buried
3

Ski patrollers and Snow Rangers were above the Ballroom working on cornice mitigation when the cornice they were working on broke before the explosives went off.