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Avalanche: Reynolds East Face

Observer Name
Maddie
Observation Date
Friday, December 31, 2021
Avalanche Date
Friday, December 31, 2021
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Reynolds Pk » Reynolds East Face
Location Name or Route
Reynolds Face
Elevation
9,300'
Aspect
East
Trigger
Natural
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow
Depth
6"
Width
30'
Comments
We observed massive cornices over Reynolds Face, including a smaller subset of cornices at the top of an east facing rollover just under the summit. At around 12:30, headed up for our last lap after a day in the glades, I noticed disrupted snow towards the bottom of the slope. As we neared the top, the smaller subset of cornices appeared to have broken and triggered just the top few inches (likely wind loaded) in a soft slab slide. The slide ran down about %80 of the slope. The cornices that broke were not large, overhanging a foot at most and only up to a foot thick. Their size was puny compared to the cornices overhanging the NE face, which also appeared to be shedding in between laps.
Coordinates