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Avalanche: Wolverine Cirque

Observer Name
ZL
Observation Date
Monday, December 16, 2024
Avalanche Date
Monday, December 16, 2024
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Wolverine Cirque
Location Name or Route
Wolverine Cirque
Elevation
10,300'
Aspect
East
Slope Angle
40°
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Remotely Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
2'
Width
100'
Vertical
500'
Comments
SS-ASr-D2-R1.5. The initial avalanche was a small windslab, triggered remotely by our party from the ridge. The initial slab was 2.5' deep and no more than 10' wide. It failed at the ground, entraining all available snow in the couloir. It triggered a larger avalanche (photo 2) on the apron below and ran full track. Both avalanches appear to have failed on the same layer of weak faceted grains at the base of the snowpack, demonstrating a capability for large, full-depth avalanches to be triggered remotely from a distance, and/or by smaller avalanches which may be more sensitive to human trigger.
Coordinates