Observer Name
Brian Hays
Observation Date
Monday, March 19, 2018
Avalanche Date
Monday, March 19, 2018
Region
Moab
Location Name or Route
Dory Canyon
Elevation
10,500'
Aspect
North
Slope Angle
35°
Trigger
Natural
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
12"
Width
40'
Vertical
200'
Comments
On a tour up to the top of Noriega from Trans La Sal today. We skied laps from the summit down the north ridge in 12" of fresh snow. Though temps were cold the sun quickly took its toll on sunny aspects. Looking south into Dory canyon around 2pm observed a natural soft slab avalanche about 40 feet wide that ran down out of sight; probably several hundred feet. While doing laps two more natural sluffs and one more natural soft slab avalanche occurred all on the same steep north facing wall of Dory Canyon (to the looker's right of the Pencil Chute). The sluffs were small and ran several hundred feet, the other slab was similar size to the first. We noted two collapses on the north ridge; one small, one large. The range holds pockets of instability on shady slopes.