Observer Name
Park City Snow Safety/UAC
Observation Date
Sunday, December 4, 2022
Avalanche Date
Saturday, December 3, 2022
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline
Location Name or Route
Rhino Bowl
Elevation
9,700'
Aspect
East
Slope Angle
36°
Trigger
Unknown
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
4'
Width
300'
Vertical
500'
Comments
The crown face on this avalanche was 2-6' deep with an average depth of 4'. The right and left flanks tapered down to 1'. It was estimated to be 300' wide and ran 500' vertically before stopping in the flats. This would have been an unsurvivable avalanche.
It was difficult to determine a trigger, however there were snowmobile tracks on the ridgetop adjacent to the slide. The crown spanned aspects from east- northeast and there was some variability in the hardness of the wind slab over the weak layer throughout the crown face.
The weak layer was approximately 80cm off of the ground and consisted of a very thin melt freeze crust with small grained facets above and below. There were sections of the bed surface that were over 1 meter deep. What this tells us is that the weak layer is elevated off of the ground. What this means for us as backcountry travelers is that the potential for much larger avalanches could be more prevalent this season.
This avalanche was reported late in the day on Saturday December 3, 2022. DPS did a fly by and worked with Park City Patrol to determine that there was no one involved. This avalanche occurred in closed terrain within the Park City Ski Area Boundary and resembles backcountry terrain in similar areas.
As you travel near ski areas please respect their ski area boundaries. Check out resort uphill policies here.
If you see or are involved in any avalanches around ski area boundaries please report them to the appropriate rescue organization.
Coordinates