Observer Name
Staples
Observation Date
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Avalanche Date
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Region
Provo » American Fork » Miller Hill
Location Name or Route
Miller HIll
Elevation
9,800'
Aspect
Southeast
Slope Angle
35°
Trigger
Snowmobiler
Trigger: additional info
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
2'
Width
1,500'
Vertical
250'
Caught
2
Accident and Rescue Summary
One or two people were likely caught. They were gone when the second group arrived and did a beacon search to make sure no one was buried. It seems that at least one snowmobile was caught and partially buried and there was supposedly another hole where another snowmobile might have been partially buried. Unsure if anyone was injured, but glad there were no serious injuries that would have required Search and Rescue.
Weather Conditions and History
An ice crust with small facets above and below it was buried the night before Valentine's day - the Valentine's layer.
The nearest SNOTEL site is the Snowbird SNOTEL which recorded snowfall containing 7 inches of water since that layer was buried (graph below).
Two wind roses from two nearby high elevation weather stations are below for the period Feb 14 to Feb 23
Snow Profile Comments
Crown profile maybe not totally representative as it appeared to be heavily wind affected. I looked at the snow in an undisturbed and sheltered site at a similar aspect and elevation. The facets above the crust were easy to find produced ECTP11 and ECTP15. See photo below.
Video
Video
Coordinates