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Observation: Chicken Sh#! Ridge

Observation Date
1/7/2025
Observer Name
Meisenheimer
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Days Fork » Chicken Sh#! Ridge
Location Name or Route
Big Cottonwood / Spruces / Days / CSR / Bailed
Avalanche Problem #1
Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Problem #1 Comments
We tried to walk up to CSR and make it to the top since the Draw was reported as a natural avalanche on 01/05/25. However, we didn't make it very far. Too many steep east-southeast-facing slopes harbor weak snow to be underneath or walk up. My goal was to dig on an upper elevation southeast-facing slope, but we couldn't justify walking up or underneath avalanche terrain to get there.
This is usually a safe-ish up track, but right now, it's as dangerous as the next steep slope. We turned around. The fact that you can remotely trigger (collapse a slope from a distance) made this a bad choice.
As we turned around, we experienced the only collapse of the day. But it was a colossal whoomph. The snowpack rumbled. I looked up. Good choice.
Comments
Banana Days and Main Days are untracked and intact (meaning they have not yet avalanched). I'm happy to see this. However, there is no chance I would walk up or underneath any of this terrain, let alone ride it. Given the size of the avalanche in the Draw, I was very nervous in any runout zone (see below).
The Draw ran surprisingly big, given all the terrain and ground roughness. The avalanche reached the summer road, running 2,500 vertical feet. This avalanche ran in the gulley, where the debris was confined, and likely ran with more volume. Given the terrain, this was a small avalanche (large enough to kill you) but small compared to how big this path can run.
Looking at the bed surface, I would bet there is plenty of faceted snow left over, and this will not be the first time this path runs this season.
Lots of settlement since the last storm. Slab is gaining strength. Not to be confused with stability.
Today's Observed Danger Rating
Considerable
Tomorrows Estimated Danger Rating
Considerable
Coordinates