Avalanche: Chablis

Observer Name
Nalli
Observation Date
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Avalanche Date
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Region
Provo » Provo Canyon » Chablis
Location Name or Route
Chablis Bowl - Hill's Headwall
Elevation
8,400'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
37°
Trigger
Explosive
Trigger: additional info
Intentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Weak Layer
Density Change
Depth
3'
Width
300'
Vertical
600'
Comments

It was a very active day today with both Natural, Human, and Explosive triggered slides. So far, most all of the evidence points to just new wind slabs but after many days of strong winds, some of them were quite large. The dense slabs were stubborn with ski cuts and consistently tried to lure you out farther onto the slope. Explosives were much more productive and many propagated far and wide. The slick bed surface below also allowed them to run farther. This slide below was triggered with an avalauncher round on a NE aspect adjacent to Sundance. The depth ranges from 100cm to 230cm. Something this deep had me suspecting the MLK weaknesses, but closer inspection found that it was just a density change in a very heavily loaded area.

Comments

A Natural cycle also occurred today in the steep paths throughout the Southern Wasatch but the extent was hidden by the poor visibility. I know for sure that at least two slides happened out of the Fingers area and another in the NE Chute of Elk Point. Hopefully all the clues are not wiped away once we get some better vis.

Artillery control mid day produced at least one D3 running to the alluvial fan in Lost Creek.

Coordinates