UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Avalanche: Raymond Glade

Observer Name
mb
Observation Date
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Avalanche Date
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Region
Salt Lake » Mill Creek Canyon » Porter Fork » Raymond Glade
Location Name or Route
Raymond Glade
Elevation
8,700'
Aspect
Northwest
Trigger
Skier
Depth
5"
Width
50'
Comments
Triggered a small slide around 9000' descending from Raymond Glade this morning. It was windy breaking trail on the way up, but there didn't seem to be a huge amount of transport. I had seen some slight cracking above ~9300', but nothing that shot more than about a foot. Descending the upper wooded headwall there was predictable sluffing, the main shot in the bowl skied normally. I opted for a WNW facing steeper exit to the gentle aspen glade below, without thinking much of it honestly. I ski cut it as always, expecting perhaps a somewhat longer-running sluff, and was a bit surprised to trigger a small soft slab avalanche. It began in the narrow choke immediately below my skis and propagated somewhat enthusiastically out on both sides as it went down, running all the way to the aspens below. It wasn't very deep, maybe 6" at most, and wouldn't have been enough to do any harm in the terrain I was in, but it did run probably 200' vertically, until the terrain reduced in angle quite a bit. I obviously hadn't ascended this route so I didn't get a great look at the snow conditions before it went, it seemed like just the new snow, but hard to say it wasn't wind loaded too, as the wind was changing directions all morning. I descended the bedsurface and took some pictures, sorry for the poor quality, visibility was quite poor at this time (~8am), it was snowing steadily and there was a fair bit of wind. Having ski cut this exact shot many times this season with no more result than light sluffing I was a bit surprised to be honest, particularly at this aspect/elevation.
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