Dave Jarvis

Provo » Rock Canyon » Dry Fork

Provo, East of Rock Canyon Campground, Dry Fork

9,000'

South

Natural

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

I arrived at Rock Canyon Campground around noon on Sunday. I heard a couple of short slide rushes just before 1pm. I assumed they were to the East up Dry Fork. At 1:25 there was an extended sound with boulders included. At 1:35 there was a second long one. Location and altitude are estimated based on direct and reflected sound, and position of the sun. I could see a limited number of fresh point release/small rollers & a single short avalanche with minimal entrainment in Burnt Hollow around 8200'. It felt like 45 degrees and I assume that all of these were influenced by local terrain greenhouse effects. Shortly after I arrived at the campground there was a rocky sounding slide due North of the campground. It was one of the Crowsfoot Couloirs dumping mostly rock. No-mans-land, but interesting because there is so little snow on the southerly facing aspects.

There was surface hoar from about 6200' (in shaded areas) up to the campground at 7000' (in open areas) The shallow pack seemed mostly unconsolidated. The North-West flank of Provo Peak still doesn't have enough depth to be much of a draw to skiers. Aspen scrub is still prominent on the lower approaches. There is limited leeward drifting on the west-aspect ridges. Although one area around 9000' had released a small patch, probably with Saturday's afternoon heating. There was some wind-scouring to the ground at about 9800' on West Provo Ridge. There were a couple of large rollers next to the trail just North of Second Right Hand Fork Overlook. They predated the last snowstorm. West aspect, 6700'. Due South there is an open area that is mostly Northwest Aspect that had a lot of rollers from both Saturday & Sunday. Both these locations are already getting more afternoon sun and heating.