UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Avalanche: Dry Fork

Observer Name
Brant Moles
Observation Date
Monday, January 9, 2012
Avalanche Date
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Region
Provo » American Fork » Dry Fork
Location Name or Route
Gargoyles, Dry Fork
Elevation
10,000'
Aspect
East
Slope Angle
30°
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Depth
12"
Width
100'
Vertical
300'
Comments

Sorry for the late update but this happened last Tuesday morning. I was going out to poke around the Gargoyles in Dry Fork. There was not very much snow on the ridge which made it difficult to even get out there, even where I entered the snow pack was thin. I entered from the tiny chute skiers left, which was corn. Made 2 turns and shot across the slope to look at the chutes above, when I was about to stop something made me look back and i watched this thing crack and start moving. I made sure I was not gonna be caught, made a right ski turn and stopped where there was barely any snow near some trees to watch the rest of the slide. Heavy and slow moving about 12 to 18 in. deep. I knew the danger but did not think this slope would go, fortunately i had enough speed to get off of the slab. You can barely see my tracks exiting. After looking at the pics I think I cut the sweet spot of this pitch, probably triggering it at the far lookers left where the pack was weak and thin. There were cracks off about 50 ft. to the lookers right of this slide, where there is a little more south aspect. It seemed barely steep enough to slide and the snow pack was thin and wind blasted. Be careful out there!

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