Avalanche

Avalanche: Stairs Gulch

L. DunnSalt Lake
View on map

Avalanche

Weak Layer
New Snow
Trigger Type
Natural
Avalanche Type
Dry Loose
Start Zone Aspect
Northwest
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Start Zone Elevation
2743 m

We were ascending the ridge in Broads Fork that provides an excellent view into Stairs Gulch. There were more than a few new tracks in Stairs today, although the coverage looked thin enough that folks were having to pick there way through the choke points. We saw a good sized sluff that had run naturally near some the tracks, although it did not appear to hit any tracks. Given the terrain, it could have been a serious problem if someone encountered this type of sluff while navigating through the choke. It appeared to be just some new snow, there was plenty of easterly winds in the area and this was a west/northwest facing slope.