Avalanche: West Monitor

Observer Name
mark white
Observation Date
Monday, February 13, 2012
Avalanche Date
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline » Monitors » West Monitor
Location Name or Route
West Monitor
Elevation
10,100'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
35°
Trigger
Natural
Trigger: additional info
Cornice Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Weak Layer
Density Change
Depth
12"
Width
300'
Vertical
900'
Comments

Saw two seperate avalanches today in West Monitor, looks like they both released yesterday, there was a few inches of snow on the bed surface. First slide the crown was 300ft wide 12" deep but only a 20ft wide section of the slide made it to the flats. Looked like a natural cornice drop might have released it or maybe remoted from some one walking on the ridge. Soft slab that most likely pulled out on the density inversion that was in the new snow yesterday. Pics are the crown, main gut of the slide, and the cornice drop that might have been the trigger.

Comments

Second slide was in the same spot that had avalanched to the ground on 1-23-12. slide was 20ft wide with about an 8" crown. There were some snowboard tracks right next to the slide for the first 15 turns then the slide took out the rest of the tracks all the way down to the flats. Slide must have occured after the run was made, no signs of tracks on the debris. Know the boarder well, looks like he made it out just fine. Pics are Part of the crown, Slide with the tracks on the side, debris pile. sorry about the bad pics lousy lighting.

Comments

Tracks on skiers right of the slide

Comments

no cornices dropped today

Coordinates