Check out our Holiday Auction - Sign Up for the Utah Snow and Avalanche Workshop (USAW)

Avalanche: Yamaha Hill

Observer Name
Ted Scroggin
Observation Date
Friday, January 1, 2021
Avalanche Date
Monday, December 28, 2020
Region
Uintas » Yamaha Hill
Location Name or Route
Whitney Basin-Humpy Creek
Elevation
10,000'
Aspect
Northeast
Slope Angle
34°
Trigger
Snowmobiler
Trigger: additional info
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
2.5'
Width
300'
Vertical
200'
Comments
Traveled out to the Humpy Peak area to grab a few photos of two older avalanches that I believe occurred earlier in the week. Likely these two slides happened at similar times based on the single sled track that rolled up to the base of the slope. My thought on why the middle portion of the slope did not release is it avalanched naturally earlier in the month of December. Good examples of how these types of avalanches happen when you don't need to be on the slope for it to release.
Comments
Lots of very audible collapses today while traveling around. I could see the snow underneath my sled and skis drop as I moved through low angle terrain. It is a pretty straight forward set up right now with the snow pack collapsing underfoot and digging down a couple feet to observe the stronger slab of snow sitting on very weak sugary snow near the bottom. All good clues that the snow pack is still unstable and triggering avalanches from a distance is very likely.
Coordinates