Sign Up for the Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW) on December 7th!

Avalanche: Bear Trap

Observer Name
Eddie Schoen
Observation Date
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Avalanche Date
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Bear Trap
Location Name or Route
Beartrap Fork
Elevation
7,800'
Aspect
Northwest
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Weak Layer
Density Change
Depth
6"
Width
100'
Comments
Steep convex test slope with leeward loading above gully feature, well below treeline but with active wind loading observed through aspen/birch groves. Touchy and propagated all the way across feature and past a subtle aspect change (extended to red arrow in photo, ~100' wide) Observed instability limited to specific areas with lee & cross loading on steep, unsupported terrain. Areas with the wind deposition did seem to have quite a bit of energy and pop to them.
Coordinates