Avalanche: Silver Fork

Observer Name
Logan J & Coyne, Miller, Loebach
Observation Date
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Avalanche Date
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Silver Fork
Location Name or Route
Silver Fork
Elevation
9,800'
Aspect
Northwest
Slope Angle
40°
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
12"
Width
20'
Vertical
100'
Comments

Went out for a walk yesterday in silver fork. Went towards the silver fork head wall to check it out. Ran across a slide that appeared to have happened the day before. There was a track, that appeared to be a skin track, at the top of the slide. There was a track on both sides of the slide. It appeared to have started right below the tree that's in the upper center portion of the photo. The slide ran to the bottom of the gulley though. Not sure how deep the debris was piled up but several feet deep. While attempting to get a closer look of the slide, a minor collapse was felt under my ski. Somebody dug a pit on the same slope as the slide was on. I would be interested if it was the same party and their result on the pit test was? Sorry I didn't post this yesterday crisis at work forced me to go to work.

FORECASTER COMMENTS: This little pocket was reported by another party who stumbled onto it as well. They didn't trigger it but did dig a pit. Comments from them below.

We were walking up Silver Fork yesterday afternoon (Sunday) and came across this small avalanche. It was difficult to tell when it had happened, but it looked fairly crisp and recent. Of significance was the slabs' characteristics as a hard slab, it's location above yet another major terrain trap, and it being on a common route out of silver fork. I dug a quick pit (the one in this other guy's photo) and found the weak layer to be the Thanksgiving Facets. Got an ECTX but a PST that resulted in likely propagation. Also of note my pit was not in the 'hard slab' as I was not into traveling that far into the slope. The slope was Northwest and 35degrees.

Coordinates