UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Avalanche: Wolverine Cirque

Observer Name
Josh Palmer
Observation Date
Saturday, April 16, 2022
Avalanche Date
Saturday, April 16, 2022
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Wolverine Cirque
Location Name or Route
Wolverine Cirque
Elevation
10,600'
Aspect
Northeast
Trigger
Natural
Depth
Unknown
Width
Unknown
Comments
Close call here. We evaluated the snowpack on similar aspects on the way up and didn't see any wind slabs. No cracking either and the snow was still light/hadn't heated up yet, so we decided Bombay chute would be relatively safe to ski as long as there was a safe entrance into the chute and we could get well below the cornice. There was a safe entrance and the chute skied well. The snowpack was a little punchy skiing down, but otherwise felt stable. About a minute after both myself and my friend got down and were in a safe zone, we were looking back up at the chute and observed a natural cornice break that fanned into a dry loose avalanche that could have easily carried a rider over a small but rocky cliff band had someone been in the chute at the time.