Avalanche: Highway to Heaven

Observer Name
McIntyre, Oliver, Noyes
Observation Date
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Avalanche Date
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Twin Lakes area » Highway to Heaven
Location Name or Route
Heavens Gate to Twin Lakes Pass
Elevation
10,200'
Aspect
East
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
6"
Width
Unknown
Comments
Observed widespread cracking while ascending the ridge towards Patsy and with strong winds loading the slope above us, decided to change plans and ski a low angle, manageable ramp towards twin lakes. Slope cut produced the first avalanche and we skied the bed surface. As we descended the low angle pitch, the slope above remote triggered north towards twin lakes and we watched it propagate in pockets down the ridge from a safe distance. We chose our descent route carefully on non-connected slopes but the snow was fracturing even on 10° rolls and was some of the most connected I've seen. We remote triggered adjacent steeper slopes from ~100 feet away. takeaways: hair trigger, sneeze and it will fracture, would have been scary with more new snow.