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Avalanche: Chutes and Ladders

Observer Name
P Diegel, T Diegel
Observation Date
Wednesday, January 6, 2021
Avalanche Date
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Kessler Peak » Chutes and Ladders
Location Name or Route
Chutes and Ladders
Elevation
8,800'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
40°
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
16"
Width
40'
Vertical
150'
Comments
Came across a recent avalanche that I don't think was reported. I'm pretty sure it happened 1/5/21. I might have mis-placed the pin on the map - it was at 40.621, -111.660, very low in ( I think) Chutes and Ladders. It was right at a rollover with a pair of old mining cables running down-fall line just above the snow. Steep, narrow, sheltered, and shaded gully with a very difficult exit to the road. Very complex terrain that I'm not very familiar with and, in retrospect, should not have been in. 2 ski tracks going into it, 2 coming out, quick beacon search yielded no results. I don't think the debris was deep enough to bury someone unless they were really unlucky, but there were multiple terrain features that could have serious consequences (trees, rocks, gully). Cracking occured over a wide area but it actually ran in a much smaller area, through some trees and into another steep, narrow gully. The bed surface was a thin facet layer above a hard refrozen layer, perhaps 2 1/2 ft total snow depth ( I forgot to measure the total depth). It is noteworthy that this happened at a low elevation; only a few hundred ft above and within sight of the road.
Coordinates