Avalanche: Yellowjacket Gulch 1/27/2010

Observer Name: 
Drew Hardesty
Observation Date: 
01/27/2010
Occurrence Date: 
01/27/2010
Occurrence Time: 
1:00pm
Region: 
Yellowjacket Gulch
Porter Fork
Mill Creek Canyon
Salt Lake
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Location

40° 40' 44.7888" N, 111° 41' 12.624" W
Avalanche Characteristics
Elevation: 
9200'
Aspect: 
North
and steeper
Slope Angle: 
26
Trigger: 
Skier
Trigger: additional info: 
Unintentionally Triggered
Remotely Triggered
Avalanche Type: 
Hard Slab
Weak Layer: 
Facets
Depth (avg): 
3.5'
Depth Range: 
12" to
5'
Width: 
600'
Vertical: 
800'
People Involved
Caught: 
1
Carried: 
1
General Comments

Skiing down the ridgeline and moved leeward around a minor windroll.   I immediately collapsed the slope - hard slab over facets and

map.jpg
General Comments 2

Bill Nalli, Provo UDOT forecaster is standing at my trigger point (where the slab was only 45cm deep).  Momentum (always your friend) carried me skier's left where the the hard slab 5' deep broke above me, and I was carried down the slope.

entry point.JPG
General Comments 3

Another view, looking back up to where it initiated there left of Bill where it was 18" deep, then propagated to up to 5' deep.  I had no chance. 

nalli under wind roll.JPG
General Comments 4

Looking down the ridgeline to the west north-west.   Looks like it propagated 600-700' wide.  Stiff slab = longer propagation.  Soft slabs tend to break at your feet (lacking a persistent weak layer); hard slabs have so much internal strength that they propagate above you and over farther distances.  Ever notice how you'll get a ECT30 or CT 30 (or more), but when it fails, it pops out like a cash register?  It's the same.  Note also from the pic that it literally pulled all the way up to the ridgeline.  That is - had someone been standing on the flats ridge, the carpet would've yanked them down the path. 

downridge.JPG
Video 4: 
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