Join us for the 17th Annual Professional Snow and Avalanche Workshop (PROSAW) on November 4 - Purchase tickets here!

Avalanche: West Porter

Observer Name
DB
Observation Date
Monday, February 19, 2024
Avalanche Date
Monday, February 19, 2024
Region
Salt Lake » Mill Creek Canyon » Porter Fork » West Porter
Location Name or Route
West porter/thaynes ridge
Elevation
9,000'
Aspect
East
Trigger
Skier
Trigger: additional info
Cornice Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Weak Layer
Facets
Depth
16"
Width
70'
Comments
Stomped on a small cornice just after gaining the West porter/thaynes ridgeline from WP, thinking it might have the crust/facet setup from last weekends sun and snow, seems like it did here. Slid on a firm crust that seemed to have some kind of thin (1-2in) weak layer on top, couldn't tell ya if it was buried facets or stellars or surface hoar but definitely felt less dense than the slab above it. Avoided steep east/southeast for the rest of the day
lots of wind and active loading on north facing as well, got some small wind slabs to go from cornice kicks in upper neffs later in the tour
Coordinates