Avalanche

Avalanche: Moab

Brian HaysMoab
View on map

Quick report

Slope Angle
35°

Avalanche

Slab Width
12 m
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Trigger Type
Natural
Vertical Fall
61 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
30 cm
Start Zone Aspect
North
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Start Zone Elevation
3200 m

On a tour up to the top of Noriega from Trans La Sal today. We skied laps from the summit down the north ridge in 12" of fresh snow. Though temps were cold the sun quickly took its toll on sunny aspects. Looking south into Dory canyon around 2pm observed a natural soft slab avalanche about 40 feet wide that ran down out of sight; probably several hundred feet. While doing laps two more natural sluffs and one more natural soft slab avalanche occurred all on the same steep north facing wall of Dory Canyon (to the looker's right of the Pencil Chute). The sluffs were small and ran several hundred feet, the other slab was similar size to the first. We noted two collapses on the north ridge; one small, one large. The range holds pockets of instability on shady slopes.