Obs-Snow Profile: Butler Fork 1/23/2012

Observer Name:

Kikkert

Observation Date:

01/23/2012

Region:

Salt Lake
Big Cottonwood Canyon
Butler Fork

Location or Route:

Butler Fork - Wilson Ridge Line

Weather

Sky:

Scattered

Wind Direction:

Southwest

Wind Speed:

Light

Weather Comments:

Cool with very light winds.

Red Flags

Red Flag Comments:

Travel was mostly on areas that had no snow prior to the latest round of storms and did not have any red flags, doesn't mean there weren't any elsewhere, but the snow in areas with no old snow and out of the wind is right side up and stable. The challenge was traveling in these areas without getting caught off guard by any areas that do have old snow. Small slides were visible in little nooks that did have old snow.

Primary Concern

Primary Concern:

Persistent Slabs

Primary Concern Comments:

Stomped on a few small test slopes with old snow without any collapsing or cracking; however, the amount of faceted snow was much less than in more northerly upper elevation terrain. Also kicked a few small cornices into northerly portions of the Wilson Chutes without any luck. Maybe I missed out on all the fun. The skiers left chutes in Wilson had run, but could not tell if the more southerly, shorter shots on skiers right had run. There was a fresh crown, likely from Sunday morning down low in the north facing corner.

Attached pit shows the tale of 2 snowpacks. Areas without old snow are mostly stable, but can't even isolate a column in areas with old snow.

snow_profile_location:

United States

40° 40' 11.2224" N, 111° 39' 37.4544" W

Comments - Photos - Videos (group 1)

Photo of the Butler-Gobblers area prior to the storms.

Comments - Photos - Videos (group 2)

At least one slide had run from the north facing slopes above the gully, shown in the middle of the photo, and into the gully bottom where the summer trail is, with 8 feet or so of deposition on the summer trail. Had to put the skintrack high on the south facing slopes to avoid the death trap.

Snow Profile Location

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