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Avalanche: Cascade Ridge

Observer Name
Woody
Observation Date
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Avalanche Date
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Region
Provo » Cascade Ridge
Location Name or Route
Cascade Ridge
Elevation
10,700'
Aspect
East
Trigger
Natural
Trigger: additional info
Repeater
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Width
5,000'
Vertical
3,250'
Comments

With clearing skies was able to observe crowns from this last storm cycle on the 8th-10th of Jan. Bunnells had a connected crown the full width of the upper bowl with multiple secondary crowns mid and low start zone and track where the upper slab pulled out small 800'-1000' wind pockets in the complex terrain. Estimating the total crown length at 1.25 - 1.5 miles with a crown that varies between 3' to 15' deep. Debris ran to roughly 7,600'. Not sure if the entire bowl went together, or if it released in sections. Cascade faired much better than Timp during those Sept/Oct/Nov storms, and as such has a deeper and more reactive repeat facet layer above 9000'. Bunnells and Big Springs has already gone through 1 avalanche cycle on the 26th from the Christmas storm. I expect these same facets to produce large avalanches again after the next storm cycle, or prolonged wind event. This is a possible indicator of what Timp will produce at the upper north elevations once it goes through another substantial storm cycle or two. A pit on the opposite side of Provo Canyon at 9100' north facing yielded an ECTP11-SP, PST-end 34cm, CT15-SC ontop of a similar layer of facets today.

Coordinates