Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 42°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 183 m
- Weak Layer
- Facets
- Trigger Type
- Snowmobiler
- Vertical Fall
- 107 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 76 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Unintentionally Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- East
- Start Zone Elevation
- 2682 m
A rider triggered a large persistent slab avalanche and was caught, carried, and mostly buried. He was able to deploy his air-bag, which likely kept him from a deep burial in very deep and extensive debris.
Here is a link to KSL'a news coverage http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=19340414&title=man-survives-massive-avalanche-thanks-to-airbag-friend&s_cid=queue-6
Herald Journal Article http://news.hjnews.com/news/article_00151e72-61b6-11e1-a3b5-001871e3ce6c...
The party triggered a pretty good sized avalanche down at Tony Grove Lake earlier in the day..... This looked from a distance to be around 1.5 to 2 feet deep and 300 to 400 feet wide...
The avalanche was blow in from snow and strong winds overnight, but certainly still evident... Here's a look up at the bowl that avalanched wall to wall... Much of the 2' deep crown was drifted in by last night's very strong west winds, but parts were still visible.... The debris was funneled into a draw and piled up deeply below the bowl and also stacked up on the sparse trees in the path...
Incident
- Number Caught
- 1
- Number Carried
- 1
- Number Partly Buried
- 1
Mostly buried rider was recovered by his party.... Top of helmet and deployed airbag on top of debris