Observer Name
Michael Stahler
Observation Date
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Avalanche Date
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » White Pine
Location Name or Route
SR 210 White Pine
Elevation
10,800'
Aspect
South
Trigger
Natural
Depth
Unknown
Width
Unknown
Carried
1
Comments
I witnessed the White Pine avalanche that hit a Toyota SUV. It ran straight down the avalanche path. About 1-2 feet of snow on the road after the event. I was about 30 seconds from being in it. Immediately called 911. Traffic was very bad but fortunately we all got back down LCC.
Forecaster note: Thank you very much for submitting this observation. One interesting note is that UDOT shot White Pine before the road was opened, then this natural avalanche happened after it was open. They closed it and shot again and didn't trigger any slides.
It is a good heads up for us traveling in the backcountry to give ourselves a wide margin for error. If multiple howitzer rounds aren't enough, then our crude assessment tools certainly have a lot of room for error.
Comments
Photo below from UDOT.
Coordinates