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Avalanche: Lower Weber Drainage

Observer Name
Michael Janulaitis
Observation Date
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Avalanche Date
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Region
Uintas » Lower Weber Drainage
Location Name or Route
Weber Canyon
Elevation
10,000'
Aspect
North
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Intentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
18"
Width
50'
Vertical
30'
Comments
I intentionally triggered this cornice and wind loaded slab below the cornice while skinning up the ridgeline. These slides ran on large-grained facets that formed during our last dry spell. The slab collapsed a length of 400ft but only two sections of it were overloaded enough to pull out and run. The evidence showed a well-connected cohesive slab that formed from persistent south winds.
New snow was about 10 inches. The new snow is super-glued to last week’s snow thanks to the wet entrance of the storm then light on top thanks to the wrap around we got after the front passed. Most of last week’s snow melted on the dead south slopes so it was new snow on dirt again on the south side of the compass. Shifting to the east side gave way to a impermeable curst layer under the new snow. The low angle north side skied soft and fast.