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Avalanche: Bear Trap

Observer Name
Xander
Observation Date
Sunday, January 15, 2023
Avalanche Date
Sunday, January 15, 2023
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Bear Trap
Location Name or Route
Bear trap
Elevation
8,000'
Aspect
Northwest
Slope Angle
50°
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
3"
Width
40'
Vertical
20'
Carried
2
Comments
This was triggered just off the skin track riders left side of the track on the way down. As my buddy skied up next to me, the supporting layer of snow at the bottom of the slope was removed and this broke, propagating about 40ft. It was a small slide, so it only came up to our knees. The crown was just below the support from the brush/ trees above it. Looks like it broke on the new/old snow interface. This was on a pretty steep and short slope, about 50 degrees. The photo is taken at the bottom of the slide. It only ran about 20ft.
Coordinates