Avalanche

Avalanche: Summit Park

HarmsenSalt Lake
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Avalanche

Slab Width
12 m
Weak Layer
Density Change
Trigger Type
Skier
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
20 cm
Start Zone Aspect
North
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Start Zone Elevation
2560 m

Triggered a very small avalanche in windslab near the top of summit park - not large enough to do any damage, but I thought notable for how it propagated above the ski trigger and around the knoll (backside of image you cannot see). Also had numerous shooting cracks in soft windslabs even lower down on summit park.

These smaller slides and cracking in this lower consequence terrain makes me think that large windslab avalanches are very likely in higher/larger terrain today.

Largest hazard of the day was trees - they're coated in wet heavy snow and we witnessed a fairly large tree (~ 2ft diameter) snap in half and crash with a massive powder cloud shortly after we skiied by. numerous signs of other trees brought down by the recent storms too. Photo is of the tree we saw fall and hit a house!