UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Avalanche: Rolfson

Observer Name
Kobernik - Staples - Osborne
Observation Date
Saturday, January 12, 2019
Avalanche Date
Saturday, January 12, 2019
Region
Skyline » Huntington Canyon » Left Fork Huntington Canyon » Rolfson
Location Name or Route
Rolfson
Elevation
10,200'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
40°
Trigger
Snowmobiler
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
2'
Width
300'
Vertical
500'
Comments
We stumbled onto this avalanche not long after it was triggered. Details about how it was triggered are unknown. The starting zone measured 40 degrees in steepness. The fracture line was up to 4 feet deep in places. The weak layer was faceted sugar snow that formed on the surface in mid December during a dry spell. This layer was buried by the Christmas and New Year's storms as well as the very windy storm earlier this week. The layer is actually not alarmingly weak but the wind drifted snow from the past storm was enough to push it to the brink.
Comments
In the image below, you can see the other smaller avalanches that were snowmobile triggered on Tuesday, Jan 8.
Video
Coordinates