Observer Name
Garcia, Matthews
Observation Date
Monday, March 27, 2023
Avalanche Date
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Region
Moab
Location Name or Route
West Face Talking-Laurel Ridge
Elevation
11,100'
Aspect
West
Slope Angle
42°
Trigger
Natural
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Avalanche Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
5'
Width
175'
Vertical
200'
Comments
Two avalanches occurred on this slope about 600 feet apart from each other. The crown profile and dimensions above are for the avalanche on the lookers right of the slope. It is possible that one avalanche initiated and sympathetically triggered the other. The average depth of the crown was about four feet, with a maximum depth of 5 feet. The depth of the crown diminished along the left flank where there was less wind loading.
These avalanches most likely occurred on Wednesday 3/22 during the middle of a series of storms. The avalanche danger on 3/22 was rated HIGH. The snow started falling Sunday night into Monday 3/20 and by Wednesday the La Sals had received about 2 feet of snow and 2.6 - 3.0" of SWE. Extreme winds out of the SW blew 50-70 mph Tuesday night and Wednesday. This slope was heavily wind loaded. The avalanche failed on 1mm facets down about 1.5 meters. This avalanche is an example of how strong winds can create unusual loading patterns in the mountains.
HS-N-R2-D2.5-O
Comments
In the third photo the paint brush is sitting on the bed surface that the avalanche ran on. The bed surface is down 147cm.
Coordinates
