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Avalanche: Patsy Marly

Observer Name
Hudachko/Belcher
Observation Date
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Avalanche Date
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Grizzly Gulch » Patsy Marly
Location Name or Route
Patsy Marley
Elevation
9,800'
Aspect
West
Slope Angle
37°
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Intentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
Density Change
Depth
12"
Width
80'
Vertical
200'
Comments
We were getting collapsing and cracking on the walk up the Patsey Marley ridge. Storm snow slabs were popping out on test slopes (first photo). We skied the west face of Patsey Marley below the microwave tower back into Alta. About half way down we put in a ski cut on top of the steep rollover. Based on what we'd seen with our test slopes we figured it would probably go. The slab consisted of new snow only, didn't run with too much energy, and was completely manageable. Poor vis made for a poor photo. We did call Alta Central, as the sun had peeked out by the time we got back to the car and you could see the slide from the parking lot.
Coordinates