Observer Name
SZW
Observation Date
Friday, January 18, 2013
Avalanche Date
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Region
Provo » American Fork » Major Evans
Location Name or Route
Major Evans
Elevation
10,400'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
Unknown
Trigger
Unknown
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Avalanche Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Depth
Unknown
Width
Unknown
Vertical
Unknown
Comments
While doing some scouting in the far reaches of Snowbird's Mineral Basin, I noticed this slide on Major Evans off in the distance. It is hard to say exactly when this slide ran, but it must have been between the 1/11 storm and the 1/16 wind event. This terrain is seldom visited by humans due to the location and difficulty of access. In the photos there is a clear crown face and the bed surface had been scoured by the strong N and NE winds earlier this week. Notice the bald spot near the summit. This spot seems to always be devoid of snow and is indicative of the wind that flows through that drainage. Some large pieces of cornice/crown are visible in the second and third pictures, along with some severe wind damage to the bed surface.
My hypothesis is that the slope was loaded with snow and SW winds during the beginning of the last storm and then ran naturally. The following wind event then scoured the bed surface to the ground. Even so, it looks like the crown face was up to several feet deep in some locations and involved most of the season's snow pack. A smaller subsidiary slide (4th photo) was noticed just to the north of the main slide.
Coordinates