Observer Name
Phil Honus
Observation Date
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Avalanche Date
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Superior » Suicide Chute
Location Name or Route
Suicide Chute
Elevation
9,600'
Aspect
East
Slope Angle
42°
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
12"
Width
10'
Vertical
600'
Comments
While topping out on Suicide chute, the cornice and wind slab beneath it released, sending soft chunks down the slope and taking with it the new storm snow for the majority of the width of the chute. The slide ran the entire length of Suicide and stopped about 75-100 feet after the start of the Superior apron. Even though winds were well behaved on the apron and during the majority of the ascent, they were blowing fairly hard at the very top. The top 10 feet of the chute had a significantly slicker crust beneath the new snow than what we had encountered for the majority of the climb, making it difficult for us to set steps near the top. Given the slick crust at the top, its apparent the wind slab didn't need too much provocation to get moving.
Photos, which aren't the best quality, show part of the crown and then down the chute where you can see some remaining chunks left behind.
Coordinates