Avalanche: Willows 12/22/2010

Observer Name: 
Glew
Observation Date: 
12/22/2010
Occurrence Date: 
12/22/2010
Occurrence Time: 
2:00pm
Region: 
Salt Lake
Big Cottonwood Canyon
Willows
Location Name: 
Willow fk
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Avalanche Characteristics
Elevation: 
9500'
Aspect: 
South
Southwest
Slope Angle: 
38
Trigger: 
Skier
Trigger: additional info: 
Intentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type: 
Soft Slab
Weak Layer: 
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth (avg): 
12"
Width: 
200'
Vertical: 
150'
General Comments

We were downhill tunneling in upper east Willow fork today and found instablity at the small rollover toward the bottom of the slope. The first person in got a section of the slope to release. The density inversion and a rouge telemark skier caused the failure. The avalanche was wider than we first thought. Upon exmaination, we found the crown weaving itself through the aspen trees and bushes a couple hundred feet wide and about a foot to a foot and a half deep! It also sympathetically released a few small pockets totally seperate from the initial slide. The main avalanche didnt run very far because the runout zones slope angle decreased quickly into an aspen grove. I bet some of the steeper slopes went big today?


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