Avalanche

Avalanche: Whitney Basin

Ted ScrogginUintas
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Quick report

Slope Angle
36°

Avalanche

Slab Width
30 m
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Trigger Type
Snowmobiler
Vertical Fall
61 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
36 cm
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Northeast
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Start Zone Elevation
3109 m

This is likely a sled triggered slide from a day or two ago. It was either triggered as the rider was coming down from the top or side-hilling across the slope. Nothing too big or deep, and was probably pretty easy for the rider to throttle out of it as it broke at their sled and not above them.

It looks like the weak layer was some weak faceted snow above a moisture crust that is the interface between the old snow and the recent storm. The crust is very thin and may not be an issue later on as the temperature gradient might eat it up or just get compacted out by weight from above?

I was able to get easy column shears with a compression test on one of the flanks.