Avalanche: Two Dogs

Observer Name
Asay/Anderson
Observation Date
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Avalanche Date
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Days Fork » Two Dogs
Location Name or Route
Two Dogs
Elevation
10,200'
Aspect
Northeast
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Cornice Fall
Avalanche Problem
Cornice
Depth
9"
Width
200'
Carried
1
Comments
You know how they say cornices break back farther than you expect? Well...it did. We knew things were slabby and corniced but I thought I was far enough back from the codec as we skied over from Flagstaff summit to ski Two Dogs. The cornice broke and I "sent" the 10-15 foot drop. Stayed on top as the cornice gouged its way all the way to the flats, taking some refrigerator-sized debris with it.
I was 3-5 feet away from the edge when the cornice broke. I wasn't looking over the edge or otherwise trying to get close. It broke much farther in than expected. Worth noting that while it broke deep on the ridge, taking massive slabs of snow with it, the slide didn't really entrain any snow with it as it went. We skied a few laps on Two Dogs and nothing there even sloughed. It was the cornice that was the problem today.
Coordinates