Avalanche: Pioneer Peak 11/19/2011

Observation Date: 
11/19/2011
Occurrence Date: 
11/19/2011
Occurrence Time: 
1:00pm
Region: 
Pioneer Peak
Big Cottonwood Canyon
Salt Lake
Location Name: 
Martha Bowl
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Location

40° 34' 55.7148" N, 111° 35' 23.1936" W
Avalanche Characteristics
Elevation: 
Unknown
Aspect: 
North
Trigger: 
Skier
Trigger: additional info: 
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type: 
Hard Slab
Weak Layer: 
Facets
Depth (avg): 
2.5'
Depth Range: 
2' to
4'
Width: 
125'
Vertical: 
175'
General Comments

The skin trail was covered up with at least two feet of debris. It could have been sympathetically triggered by the second skinner and he hurried out of harms way...yet I think it was a natural triggered from cross and down slope loading. Either way, it was 120 feet wide, initiating as high up on the slope as possible in the cliffs. It was 4 feet deep at it's apex, and the average depth was 2 to 2.5 deep. It was almost wall to wall with the area outside the right flank holding only about 35 feet of old snow, while the area outside the left flank had about 45 feet of old snow left. There was a large stress crack on the riders left side where it didn't go. Slope angle estimated at 40 degrees, and it appeared to have initiated above the ground crust in the usual suspect facets. It basically was running on the ground. It ran 175 to the flats. It is a pretty short bowl. Time would be estimated between 14:00 and 12:30.

Forecaster Note: We spoke with people who triggered this slide confirming that it was human triggered.

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