Avalanche: Rocky Point

Observation Date
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Avalanche Date
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Rocky Point
Location Name or Route
Rocky Points, Left Nostrils
Elevation
10,400'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
40°
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Intentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
Density Change
Depth
8"
Width
80'
Vertical
175'
Comments

Dropped a relatively small cornice (6 foot by 3 foot chunk) onto the Left Nostril of the Main Chute of the Rocky Points, and it propagated to the chute on it's left. Same sensitive density break that has been active since Tuesday. Slide ran to transition where the slope angle let up to around 25 degrees.

Also was able to knock out a small piece of 1 finger wind slab with a slope cut. The slope was off the East Facing line off the Nose of the Rocky Points. The slide was 45 feet wide, 10 inches deep, and the slope angle was 38 degrees. The bed surface was the prefrontal firm snow from the initial part of the latest storm. Weak Layer was light density snow at this interface. This only ran 45 feet as the slope angle lets up quickly on this slope. The aspect was East. No picture of this one as the camera struggled with the cold temps.

Coordinates