Observer Name
Staples, Richards, Davis, Ryan
Observation Date
Saturday, January 9, 2021
Avalanche Date
Friday, January 8, 2021
Region
Uintas » Mirror Lake Highway » Reids Peak
Location Name or Route
Reids Peak/Bald Mountain
Elevation
11,200'
Aspect
North
Trigger
Natural
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Depth
2'
Width
200'
Vertical
350'
Comments
Found this natural avalanche on the north side of the saddle between Bald Mountain and Reids Peak. Second photo is of a smaller avalanche just a little to the east.
We experienced widespread collapsing riding in the trees underneath this slide. How do you feel a collapse while riding a sled? You can feel the track drop a little. Seeing small saplings shake 20-40' away is confirmation.
To be clear - collapsing told me that if we had gotten onto a steep slope, we would have triggered an avalanche. A collapse is everything that happens in an avalanche, except you're not on slope steep enough to slide.
Coordinates