Avalanche: Summit Park

Observer Name
Scottie
Observation Date
Monday, March 7, 2022
Avalanche Date
Monday, March 7, 2022
Region
Salt Lake » Parleys Canyon » Summit Park
Location Name or Route
Summit Park
Elevation
8,000'
Aspect
Northeast
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Depth
10"
Width
30'
Carried
1
Comments
Toured summit park today. Had no obvious red flags, nor any wind loading on the slopes we skied. We didn't dig any pits as we felt aware of the snowpack, and the poor snow structure from our 2 month drought. We had been primarily in lower angle old growth forest but moved towards a steep clearing between old growth stands on one of our descents. While skiing we stopped at an island of safety and determined our next decent option. My partner stayed on the safety of the spur while I skied the terrain with more potential avalanche hazard. After a few turns I remotely pulled out a small slab directly in front of me. I was able to quickly ski out as it was slow moving and manageable (only a few inches from the past storm).The avalanche was on a NE aspect around 2pm. The trigger point occurred on a convex 37-39 degree slope.
I did not hike back in to do a full crown profile, but it was clear that it slid on the PWL. The slope itself had a lot of buried vegetation and rock poking through the slide path as well.
Although this was small it shows how touchy these slopes are. I'm afraid this next storm cycle is going to really ramp up the spicyness, I know I'll be sticking to low angle terrain. Good lesson and glad all were safe.
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