Observer Name
Peter Donner
Observation Date
Monday, March 2, 2020
Avalanche Date
Monday, March 2, 2020
Region
Salt Lake » Big Cottonwood Canyon » Mill Creek Canyon » Mill A » Butler Fork » Gobblers
Location Name or Route
Gobbler's Knob
Elevation
8,700'
Aspect
West
Trigger
Skier
Depth
4"
Width
20'
Carried
1
Comments
Debated whether to submit this, it’s such a minor event it’s basically a non-event. Hesitate to say the amount of snow involved rises to class 1 avalanche, maybe class 0.50 or class 0.25, a middling sluff. Did get knocked off my feet and carried downhill in a pile of moving snow.
Crown was about 20 feet wide, averaging about 4 inches deep, ran about 50 vertical feet.
Sluff occurred skiers left bottom of benign line on Gobblers Knob in Porter Fork, steep rollover.
End of day, discussed exit options w my partner and concluded the rollover might sluff but it would be manageable.
Entered the rollover w a couple of ski cuts. Nothing moving, started to ski noticed the ski cut had started to move as I was knocked off my feet, moving downhill sitting in snow w skis under me. Carried about 10 feet as I slid sideways out of the sluff.
First photo is crown at my ski cut, varies from a foot to 2 or 3 inches. Looking closely the snow is damp and sun effected.
Second photo is debris pile, maybe 1 foot deep.
Though the run is generally northwest, the sluff occurred in a west/southwest fold, forecast to have moderate hazard “due to loose wet avalanches.”
In consequential terrain this could have been a bad deal.
Coordinates