Malone, Cyr, Noyes, Sackbauer, Wolf

Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Days Fork

Days Fork

10,300'

Northeast

36°

Skier

Intentionally Triggered

Soft Slab

Wind Drifted Snow

New Snow/Old Snow Interface

6"

60'

Unknown

Our Level 2 avalanche class had planned to ski Days Fork. I stomped on a very small cornice at the top of Two Dogs, and the slope collapsed and fractured, but didn't run. The lower R flank released mid slope and ran a short distance. This was a soft slab consisting of newly fallen graupel and wind transported snow. We observed moderate SW winds loading the NE facing slope. It failed at the new snow old snow interface. SS-AS-D1-R1-I We continued up the ridge, theorizing that we might find less wind loading on the SE facing Upper Days. However, when our first skier dropped below the ridge leading toward Upper Days, he triggered another wind slab/ soft slab which propagated significantly farther than the first slide (100'). We decided not to ski Days Fork and instead headed for lower angle terrain. On our ridge walk from false Flagstaff to West Bowl, we found sensitive and reactive wind slab with cracking and propagation as we stepped on wind rolls created by the SW winds and storm snow. First two photos are Two Dogs, third is below ridge leading to Upper Days, last is very small wind slab in West Bowl.