Snowmobiler triggered avalanche and was partially buried with one hand exposed.
Avalanche Conditions:
Yesterday’s spring like weather would have been welcome if it wasn’t January. Over the last two days we have seen unseasonably warm temperatures in the Wasatch Mountains. This warm weather has caused our avalanche dragons to become a bit sluggish, but unfortunately remain quite sensitive.
Yesterday I traveled along the Mill Creek/Big Cottonwood Canyon ridgeline and found many thick wind drifts that formed during the last week. These drifts were quite firm and did not have much of a reaction as I walked across them. However if you found a thin spot the weak snow near the ground would collapse creating a large whoofing sound. In one of the steep chutes off of Wilson Peak, which faces northeast at about 9,500’, I was able to jump around on a deep drift without any results, but by skiing onto a subridge I triggered an avalanche 1 to 2’ deep and 70’ wide (photo1, photo2).
Backcountry skiers were also able to trigger slides on northwest and northeast aspects of Mount Raymond and in the Twin Lakes Pass Area. The avalanches on Mount Raymond were about 1’ deep and 40 to 75 feet wide. They were triggered remotely breaking one to two hundred feet away from the skier.
Out of our area, but still of interest, a snowmobiler was caught and buried on a steep east facing slope near Tower Mountain in the Daniel’s Summit Area. Fortunately he got one hand above the snow surface and his companions were able to dig him out with only minor injuries.
Many areas below 8,000’ may a marginal refreeze this morning. Temperatures should be cooler most of the day, but until the snow cools wet slide potential remains in low elevation areas.