Avalanche: Wedding Ring Ridge

Observer Name
Brett Kobernik
Observation Date
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
Avalanche Date
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Region
Skyline » Huntington Canyon » Left Fork Huntington Canyon » Wedding Ring Ridge
Location Name or Route
Wedding Ring Ridge
Elevation
9,900'
Aspect
Northeast
Trigger
Natural
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
18"
Width
400'
Vertical
200'
Comments
The Wedding Ring Ridge is one of the "usual suspects" that avalanches basically anytime there's a breath of wind. However, these avalanches were a little different than the usual in this location. These were not initiated from cornice drops. They most likely released due to wind drifting snow down onto the slope and overloading the buried persistent weak layer of sugary faceted snow from October. It is also very possible these were triggered from a distance by snowmobilers as there were tracks present at the bottom of the slopes. Either way, this demonstrates how unstable the old weak snow is underneath December snow.
Coordinates