Avalanche: White Pine

Observer Name
Nina, Scott, Andrew, Jason, and Dave
Observation Date
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Avalanche Date
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » White Pine
Location Name or Route
White Pine
Elevation
Unknown
Aspect
West
Trigger
Unknown
Depth
Unknown
Width
Unknown
Comments
Our group started up the white pine road early, before most. We came upon, on the whitepine road, what appeared to be a fairly substantial soft slab slide (60-80ft wide). The slide looked to be triggered from a long way above, presumably from the shady acres area, a good bit upstream of Scottie's. The slide appeared to have occurred over night because we were the first people on the road. We switched our beacons to search mode and checked for any signals. Nothing. Debris was notably soft in the slide path. We were able to traverse across it easily. Debris pile down below the road was very substantial, estimating greater than 10ft in depth in and near trees. This would have been a doozy, either strainer or burial (likely against a tree) with dire consequence. Looked way upslope but could not see the crown or potential trigger location. Slide was remarkable in its location and size. We frequently ski this area and have never seen anything this big. Our read is direct evidence of full compas of wind effect and load throughout. Good indication and data point for the rest of the days skiing. The final comment is that the wind seems to have won the war. Yikes.
Coordinates