Observer Name
Grainger
Observation Date
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Avalanche Date
Thursday, January 17, 2019
Region
Salt Lake » Mill Creek Canyon » Alexander Basin » Depth Hoar Bowl
Location Name or Route
Depth Hoar Bowl
Elevation
9,600'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
40°
Trigger
Natural
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
14"
Width
35'
Vertical
500'
Comments
East and NE aspects of Alexander/Porter ridgeline presented multiple natural slides most likely occurring Thursday evening (1/17). While all of these stayed laterally confined to the slope's minor concavities, this storm slab activity was influenced by the strong pre-frontal SW winds leading into the Thursday's cold front.
Much of the debris I could make out stopped in the slope change lower in the bowl but one slide (photo 1) had debris visible down in the small conifers of the runout (Photo 3).
The wind-effect, aspect, and elevation are very similar to the adjacent Davis Gulch avalanche that Tom Diegel's party observed yesterday.
Coordinates