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Observer Name
John Climaco
Observation Date
Friday, December 8, 2023
Avalanche Date
Friday, December 8, 2023
Region
Salt Lake » Park City Ridgeline » Empire Pass
Location Name or Route
Park city ridgeline
Elevation
9,500'
Aspect
East
Slope Angle
30°
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
2'
Width
80'
Vertical
40'
Comments
Skiing the Empire Pass area today and things were pretty much as advertised. A long north to south ski cut near the ridge crest surprisingly produced no signs of instability. However, at the first gentle turn heading east a crack opened and propegated north rapidly. The released snow broke up quickly and ran a short distance until the slope angle eased. Visibility was very poor but from what I could see it appears to have fractured on the new/old snow interface, likely on nov./oct. junk. Notable to me was just how touchy the snow felt. Had the slope been steeper for longer I've no doubt this could've turned into a day wrecker.
Coordinates