Observer Name
Primomo
Observation Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Avalanche Date
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Region
Provo » Provo Canyon
Location Name or Route
Avy Cycle- Provo Mountains
Elevation
8,700'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
37°
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Remotely Triggered
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
2'
Width
100'
Vertical
800'
Snow Profile Comments
Fracture line profile from remotely triggered slide, HS-ASr-R2-D2.5-O. Failure on buried NSF down 52cm from surface.
Comments
The heavy precip rates last night, accompanied by a few hours of strong winds and warm temperatures rapidly added a slab on top of the density inversion within the storm snow that started yesterday. This mornings burst of snowfall with the cold front added a bit more weight.
We were getting collapses often while sticking to the ridge today. Once we reached areas where the collapses were connected to steeper slopes with a cohesive slab, we started remotely triggering avalanches. We remotely triggered 4 or 5 from distances of 60m to 110m away. Fractures were running wide, and averaged 40cm deep. Visibility was quite limited during the day, but with what little we could see it was apparent a widespread natural cycle had occurred.
Avy danger was High last night into this morning, then lowering into Considerable later.
Photo 1: Location of our group next to trees when we triggered this slide, 110m away. (NE at 8700ft)
Photo 2: Woody surveying a couple more remotely triggered slides, SE facing in upper Slide Canyon, 8700ft. HS-ASr-R2-D2.5
Photo 3: Shoulder of Middle Finger. SS-N-R1-D2. (E at 9,000ft)
Photo 4: Bearclaw North Branch. SS-N-R2-D2 (ENE at 9200ft)
Photo 5: Gunsight and lower Cascade Cirque, D3. (SE at 10200ft)
