Sign Up for the Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW) on December 7th!

Accident: Upper Days

Observer Name
John Perry
Observation Date
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Avalanche Date
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Days Fork » Upper Days
Location Name or Route
Upper Days
Elevation
10,000'
Aspect
Northeast
Trigger
Snowboarder
Trigger: additional info
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
4'
Width
900'
Caught
1
Carried
1
Buried - Partly
1
Accident and Rescue Summary
Our group was in Upper Days. I dropped in first on an east facing slope and made 3 turns and I felt the snow collapse and crack off to my right above me and it had cracked below me and to my left. I pulled my airbag and was carried about 800-1000ft. I was only partially buried to my waist due to my airbag and didn't sustain any injuries from being carried.
This avalanche started on the edge of Upper days and propagated through to Two Dogs. The crowns were between 18" and over 4' in some areas between 800-1,000ft wide. The slides ran between 1,000-1,500 ft.
Coordinates