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Avalanche: Butler Basin

Observer Name
CE
Observation Date
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Avalanche Date
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Butler Fork » Butler Basin
Location Name or Route
Butler Basin
Elevation
9,500'
Aspect
Northeast
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Intentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
2'
Comments
After some wildlife viewing on the sage covered SW slopes of Gobblers we popped over the ridge to see the skier triggered avalanche Drew Hardesty and party investigated earlier in the day. After checking that avalanche out we continued up the ridge to see how sensitive things were. With some walking around on the ridge we managed to remotely trigger two more slides that connected to the other. These three avalanches together were 400-500 ft wide and 1'-2.5' ft deep. We worked our way back down the ridge towards the tracks of the party that triggered the original avalanche. Again we were able to remotely trigger another avalanche. This avalanche was about 150 ft wide and 1.5 ft deep and released on a mid-slope roll, it also took out the skin track from the original party. The skin track when directly through this avalanche, very lucky folks! Photos: Debris from last avalanche mentioned, Last avalanche mentioned (can see skin track enter and exit, slope with ski tracks 33 degrees, slope where avalanche occurred 38 degrees), Crown from one of the upper avalanches