Avalanche: Upper Weber Canyon

Observer Name
Adolphson/Gordon
Observation Date
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Avalanche Date
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Region
Uintas » Upper Weber Canyon
Location Name or Route
Elevation
10,500'
Aspect
North
Slope Angle
37°
Trigger
Unknown
Trigger: additional info
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
3'
Width
500'
Vertical
800'
Comments

This large, remotely triggered hard slab avalanche was initiated from the ridge in a shallow portion of the snowpack on a heavily wind loaded north facing slope at about 10,500' in elevation.

Comments

The arrows in this picture show how shooting cracks are a huge indicator to unstable snow. As the crack shoots out, it rapidly propagates to the other side of the bowl.

Comments

All of this occurred rather rapidly, but Johnny Adolphson's steady hand captures the event.

Comments

The slide ran well into the flats, stacking up a huge pile of body crushing debris. This avalanche helps exemplify what we've been talking about the past few days. Tricky avalanche conditions exist! While avalanches may be getting harder to trigger, the consequences are devastating.

Coordinates