UDOT PLANNED AVALANCHE CLOSURES!!

Observation: Silver Fork

Observation Date
11/29/2022
Observer Name
Kelly, Pressman
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Silver Fork
Location Name or Route
Grizzly-East Bowl Pass-Silver Fork
Weather
Sky
Scattered
Precipitation
Light Snowfall
Wind Direction
West
Wind Speed
Light
Weather Comments
Clouds in/out all morning with clearing skies towards the afternoon. Winds were westerly throughout the day. Some previous wind loading from a northwest wind at some point during the storm. Cold temperatures hovering just above 0 F.
Snow Characteristics
New Snow Depth
15"
New Snow Density
Low
Snow Surface Conditions
Powder
Snow Characteristics Comments
Cold, caky snow. 10" new snow in Silver Fork and 16" in Grizzly Gulch. Some cracking noted around steeper terrain features. Collapsing on wind drifted areas on the ridge above Davenport. Stiffer wind drifts on east facing terrain above 10,200'. The new/old interface on south facing terrain was not reactive in terrain we traveled in. We red lighted north facing terrain for the day and did not check to see how the interface between new/old was on that side of the compass.
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
New Snow
Trend
Decreasing Danger
Problem #1 Comments
Intentionally skier triggered new snow, soft slab avalanche, in a terrain feature east facing 16" deep 9300' elevation. Weak layer was small grained facets above the crust.
Snow Profile
Aspect
East
Elevation
9,800'
Slope Angle
28°
Comments
Upper Silver Fork- ECTX although there was an easy enough shovel shear post ECTX on small grained facets below the crust @ 117cm. Stability was good, structure was poor. (Grom Scale of 7).
Video
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Moderate
Coordinates