Avalanche: Meadows

Observer Name
Jimmy
Observation Date
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Avalanche Date
Sunday, January 29, 2023
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Silver Fork » Meadows
Location Name or Route
Silver Fork Meadows
Elevation
9,000'
Aspect
Southeast
Slope Angle
38°
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Depth
12"
Width
100'
Vertical
Unknown
Comments
Had a great morning of skiing in upper Meadows with no signs of instabilities and very little wind effect from yesterday's strong winds. On our exit, partner & I stopped before the steep roll below "Wheels Up", being this rolls to about 38 degrees. We were expecting this would slough if I skied it. Assessing it would probably be a manageable slough, I skied it and a few turns in, soft slab broke out much wider than I expected. Partner radioed me to cut left and I was able to ski off of it without incident. Had I stayed fall-line, it probably would have knocked me down and taken me for a ride, although a full burial would have been unlikely.
There was a defined crown about a foot deep, maybe 100' wide. Bed surface was a sun crust, which was not surprising given the aspect.
No pics as we were running late. My assessment was off and potentially dangerous. Lesson learned!
Coordinates