Avalanche

Avalanche: White Mountain

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Avalanche

Slab Width
27 m
Trigger Type
Snowmobiler
Vertical Fall
46 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
46 cm
Trigger Detail
Unintentionally Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
East
Start Zone Elevation
3200 m

Forecaster comments: It is possible the weak layer was a layer of facets from radiation recrystalization. We visited the area the following week and looked at a similar avalanche just a bit north. There was a thin heat crust noted at the fracture line. This is consistent with facets from radiation recrystalization. The aspect and slope angle also support radiation recrystalization at this time of the season. There was a significant avalanche cycle in the Central Wasatch where a layer of facets from radiation recrystalization was the weak layer.