Avalanche

Avalanche: Cascade Ridge

Dave JarvisProvo
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Avalanche

Slab Width
91 m
Weak Layer
Wet grains
Trigger Type
Natural
Avalanche Type
Wet Slab
Slab Thickness
183 cm
Start Zone Aspect
West
Avalanche Problem
Wet Snow
Start Zone Elevation
3170 m

I think this came down later on Tuesday. The summit North East of the pin, has no Crown, but the brush

looks swept. I couldn't confirm that from the snow surface though. A clear Crown Fracture is in the

area of the pin. The South side rises like stair steps, the North side drops more like a saw blade. With

a less obvious connecting fracture at the top. Different than the arcing Crown Fracture from the

avalanche to the South on Sunday. Snow swept down the low areas and to both sides. There are

several additional Crown Fractures down slope on both sides. Running horizontally. That may have

been sympathetic. There are two areas on the north side of the gully which are scoured partly to the

base. I think one of them was from Sunday with a trigger up slope to the North. But both got

scoured today with some dirt kicked up.

The trigger would have been a combination of afternoon solar heating, with additional green

housing from natural terrain shape. Interestingly, the main Crown Fracture is tilted a bit to the

North West. The vertical stepping seems a bit strange.

The only Couloirs on the West side of Cascade that have potential for affecting Squaw Peak Road are the

two on the South end. They do on occasion deeply bury 100 yards or so of road.

Two bowls left to run?