Observer Name
Peter Donner
Observation Date
Friday, December 10, 2021
Avalanche Date
Friday, December 10, 2021
Region
Salt Lake » Mill Creek Canyon » Porter Fork » Main Porter
Location Name or Route
Main Porter
Elevation
8,500'
Aspect
Northwest
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Depth
18"
Width
50'
Comments
Got to break trail AND! trigger an avalanche. A complete day.
Cracked out my test slope which sympathetically released the adjacent terrain trap.
Idea was to see if it was possible to get to Porter Pass without getting killed in an avalanche. Decision point was behavior of the test slope, which averages about 25 degrees but has steep folds of about 35 degrees and is quite bushy. Thinking the bushes were the propagating mechanism.
First run on the test slope cracked it out though I didn’t realize it until skinning up to evaluate. Skin track was on the summer trail which had cracks above and below.
First photo is cracks at the top of the slope with my turn in the foreground.
Second photo is avalanche in terrain trap which is about 45 degrees. Failed on the old snow/new snow interface.
Video is wind blowing bushes above the test slope at 8500 feet looking up toward Porter Pass which is 9400 feet with some commentary about how lethal the terrain is and better go home.
Video
Coordinates