UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Avalanche: American Fork

Observer Name
Adam L.
Observation Date
Friday, December 31, 2010
Avalanche Date
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Region
Provo » American Fork
Location Name or Route
American Fork Canyon
Elevation
Unknown
Aspect
North
Slope Angle
Unknown
Trigger
Snowmobiler
Weak Layer
New Snow
Depth
Unknown
Width
Unknown
Vertical
Unknown
Comments

My little brothers were snowmobiling in American Fork Canyon when they came across a buried snow machine. They found it with just the ski poking up out of the snow. They stopped and dug around, believing that a person was probably buried as well. They did not have any avy gear (don't get me started on that...) but were able uncover much of the sled. My guess is that the slide was triggered from the sled crossing under the steep bank that was loaded with new snow. It broke out above the sled and came down on top. This all happened right on the road, at a spot with a steep, barren slope above the cut of the road. I've seen small rock slides in this spot during the summer. (A satellite view of the map above shows how abrupt the slope is) They called the police, and using the license information on the sled the police were able to contact the owner, who abandoned the sled after it was buried. Other than that, I have no other details. The incident served as a wake up call for my brothers. They understand now that any steep slope, regardless of the proximity of the nearest road, can be deadly. Luckily, it appears that nobody was hurt.

Coordinates