Donate to the 2024 Spring Campaign to help rebuild the UAC website.

Avalanche: Ogden

Observer Name
Doug Wewer
Observation Date
Monday, January 17, 2011
Avalanche Date
Monday, January 17, 2011
Region
Ogden
Location Name or Route
Ben Lomond - Chilly Peak Slabs
Elevation
8,200'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
Unknown
Trigger
Natural
Trigger: additional info
Repeater
Avalanche Type
Wet Slab
Depth
Unknown
Width
100'
Vertical
1,750'
Comments

Stuck to the cross-country trails today. Observed numerous wet slabs that released near Chilly Peak, SE of Ben Lomond. Most released on the rock slabs just above the groomed cross-country trails at North Fork Park. These were likely lubricated by the rain overnight. Most of the slides were on E to NE aspects, started near 7200' and ran about 400 vertical feet. Width was about 80-150 feet. Couldn't see the crowns well enough to estimate.

The light was really flat and the slides were difficult to photograph. Streams are running and undercutting the groomed trail in places. Rain runnels were visible nearly everywhere. Lots of glide cracks on the edges of the slides, and throughout the rock slabs surrounding the slabs.

It appears that we lost a good 6-8" from the lower elevation snowpack over the 3-day weekend.

Comments

Close up shots of Slide #1

Comments

Close ups of Slide #2.

Slide #2 is of interest: It appears to have started up high, near 8200' and looks like it may have failed on the buried SH layer, then gouged down and entrained snow down the zero G Chute. This is possibly the third large avalanche that has travelled through this chute in the past 3-4 weeks.

Comments

Slides 2, 3 and 4 are visible in the first photo.

The last photo is a closeup of Slide 4.

Coordinates