Avalanche: Cornice Ridge 12/24/2009

Mon, 12/28/2009 - 6:20am
Submitted by Toby
Observer Name: 
Jensen 12-26-08, weed 12-28-09
Observation Date: 
12/26/2009
Occurrence Date: 
12/24/2009
Occurrence Time: 
Unknown
Region: 
Cornice Ridge
Tony Grove
Logan River
Logan

Location

41° 53' 41.748" N, 111° 39' 57.8484" W
Avalanche Characteristics
Elevation: 
9500'
Aspect: 
Northeast
East
Slope Angle: 
38
Alpha Angle: 
26
Trigger: 
Unknown
Trigger: additional info: 
Unintentionally Triggered
Remotely Triggered
Sympathetic Release
Avalanche Type: 
Hard Slab
Weak Layer: 
Facets
Depth (avg): 
3'
Depth Range: 
22" to
6'
Width: 
1/4 mile
Width Range: 
1/4 mile to
1/2 mile
Vertical: 
500'
Vertical Range: 
350' to
600'
Snow Profile
Snow Profile Comments: 

Christmas hard slab ranging from 2' to 6' deep and very broad, failed on thin layer of weak faceted snow just above a thin dusty crust from November.

Snow Profile-Cornice Ridge south 12-28-09.jpg
General Comments



CorniceRidgeNCrown1.jpg
Video 1: 
General Comments 2







It's a bit difficult to describe the size of this avalanche, classification of HS-AM?-d3-r5-O doesn't quite capture it.  Again, hard to know for sure, but it looks like most of the cirque avalanched in one big event…..

 

JoshCrown1.jpg
Video 2: 
General Comments 3

A person feels pretty small in this country.....This is looking southeast from Cornice Ridge at my partner Josh dropping into the bed surface on the southern part of the avalanche

CorniceRidgeSCrown1.jpg
General Comments 4

I'm glad nobody got caught in this monster...  Debris piled deeply on trees and into an abrupt sink-hole below the slope...

south flank1.jpg
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