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Avalanche: Superior

Observer Name
Big B
Observation Date
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Avalanche Date
Saturday, February 17, 2024
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Superior
Location Name or Route
Superior South Face
Elevation
10,800'
Aspect
South
Trigger
Skier
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Wind Drifted Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
14"
Width
40'
Comments
Our party of 3 was descending the south face of superior from the drop-in point due west of the true summit this morning around 9:00 am. There were no significant red flags on our ascent in the morning. One member was above the avalanche and one was below. When the middle skier was descending the steep top face, a large but soft slab was remotely triggered. Luckily the middle skier promptly recognized the slab running in front of him and cut out of the way. The bottom, skier luckily also was not in the path of soft slab which turned into more of a loose dry avalanche after the debris broke apart (it would have easily carried a person). Interestingly, the first descender went close to the location of the crown but did not trigger anything. This remote trigger on the south face of superior seems very similar to the other report from today that was also remotely triggered, south aspect, and near rocky terrain. We are all glad nobody was hurt and we were able to descend the rest of the route without any issues.
Coordinates