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Avalanche: Tuscarora

Observer Name
Katz
Observation Date
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Avalanche Date
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Tuscarora
Location Name or Route
Mt. Tuscarora
Elevation
10,300'
Aspect
East
Slope Angle
Unknown
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Sympathetic Release
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
8"
Width
15'
Vertical
80'
Comments
Sympathetically triggered a long, slow running soft slab entering the notch today, attached is a photo taken from above. Propagation! Upon investigation, it became apparent that the bed surface contained intact buried stellar crystals, which are likely the culprit, though I'm not sure. I didn't dig. I didn't see any surface hoar or faceted grains. The avalanche did not seem to be wind related in nature. I also observed many dry loose point releases today, but none featuring a crown line, or apparent propagation. I'm not getting too excited, as I bet this instability is isolated and won't last.
Coordinates