Observer Name
Ambler & Jiricko
Observation Date
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Avalanche Date
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Mill D North » West Desolation Ridge
Location Name or Route
West Desolation (toe)
Elevation
9,000'
Aspect
North
Slope Angle
39°
Trigger
Natural
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
3'
Width
60'
Vertical
Unknown
Comments
Replacing this missing ob. We found this fresh avalanche around 330 PM. It started in steeper terrain on the western toe of the west deso ridge and pulled some slab from lower angle terrain to the right. We measured the crown at 27 degrees in this lower angled terrain(where I'm standing) the upper crown is visible in this photo as well. This corner was getting rapidly loaded by the winds. It seemed to fail on basal facets (pictured below) as well as facets which were at the top of a deeper bed surface.
Coordinates
