Avalanche: Santiago

Observer Name
Kobernik
Observation Date
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Avalanche Date
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Region
Salt Lake » Mineral Fork » Santiago
Location Name or Route
Off the Santiago ridge
Elevation
9,600'
Aspect
Northeast
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow
Depth
15"
Width
100'
Vertical
700'
Comments

Stumbled across this avalanche late in the day in Mineral which looks like it was triggered not long before due to the fact that there was no new snow on the debris as far as I could see. I'm guessing that this involved just the storm snow since it was only about a foot deep for the most part. Perhaps 15" or a bit better at the deepest spot. Fairly sizeable pile of debris.

Overall, the snowpack was again less sensitive today than yesterday. You definitely need a very steep slope, 40 degrees plus, like this roll-over in this avalanche to get something to release. Enough cloud cover was present that the heat didn't really get to the snow to make it unstable and riding conditions remain excellent. Lower elevations (<7500') did receive enough warmth that they became damp.

Coordinates