Observer Name
Tremper / Hill / Meisenheimer
Observation Date
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Avalanche Date
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Gobblers Knob
Location Name or Route
Gobblers Knob into Butler Basin
Elevation
10,200'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
39°
Trigger
Natural
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
6'
Width
3,500'
Vertical
1,750'
Comments
This was one of the biggest avalanches I can remember on this slope, but I've only been around for 16 years in the backcountry. Bruce Tremper said today he's never seen it run that big in his 30-year career. I think this would classify as R4D4. The deepest part of the avalanche was 16 feet deep; however, the average depth across the crown line was closer to 6-8 feet deep. Impressive.
Comments
2,971 feet wide is the approximate distance of the crown line. The avalanche descended almost 1,800 vertical feet and ran a distance of 5,224 feet to where the debris stopped. We measured the alpha angle standing on the debris at 17.2°.
Video
Coordinates