UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Avalanche: Argenta

Observer Name
Ray Apy
Observation Date
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Avalanche Date
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Mill D South » Kessler » Argenta
Location Name or Route
Kessler, Upper Argenta slide path, N-NE facing, 9,500'
Elevation
9,500'
Aspect
North
Slope Angle
45°
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
18"
Width
70'
Vertical
150'
Comments
Two skiers ascended Argenta well ahead of our party in the morning. On their descent they chose the upper looker's right side of the Argenta cliffs for descent from the ridge, following a path that leads into the gut of the path. One of the two triggered the slide at a convex rollover where slope angle increased from about 40 to 45. The slide was manageable but a good indication of reactive storm snow
Coordinates