The great people from Bridger-Teton Avalanche Heart travelled out to Lava Mountain within the Togwotee Zoneto take a look at the aftermath of an enormous human triggered avalanche that they hope was an outlier occasion.
This slide was triggered from the ridgeline above when a snowmobiler stepped of their sled to take a photograph. The crown averaged 5 ft deep with wind-loaded sections as much as 10 ft deep. The crown width was 800 ft and it ran 470 ft. This Harmful Dimension 3 avalanche illustrates the truth that weak layers close to the bottom of the snowpack are nonetheless able to producing avalanches within the space.
If you happen to plan on heading into the backcountry in western Wyoming please keep updated on all avalanche info at bridgertetonavalanchecenter.org. Learn commentary abstract beneath.
Bridger-Teton Avalanche Heart Statement Abstract:
We rode as much as the Lava Mountain Overlook to analyze an avalanche triggered by a rider on the ridgeline above a steep, E-facing bowl off the Lava Summit. This avalanche was triggered from a barely shallower spot on flat floor however with a well-connected onerous slab. The ensuing avalanche crown ranged from ~3 ft to over 10 ft tall, primarily composed of wind-compacted snow. The west face of Lava Mountain is sort of totally away from snow (all dust), and it’s fairly clear that that snow was transported onto the E facet of the height, forming a variable depth onerous slab. Round a 3rd of the snowpack was current snow from 1/31 onward. The center half of the snowpack was composed of rounding NSFs from the January dry spell and the whole lot to the bottom beneath that was weak, faceted snow and depth hoar. The avalanche spanned round 800 ft in width and produced onerous leads to an prolonged column take a look at (ECTP29, PST 20/100 Finish) on the shallowest spot. Areas the place this downside lurks in Togwotee are rocky, wind-affected, upper-elevation terrain, totally on the north half of the compass (W-N-E).Â
Facet: E
Facet Vary: SE, E, NE
Slope Angle: 38°
Elevation: 10400 ft
Vertical Fall: 470 ft
Harmful Dimension: D3
Relative Dimension: R4
Sort: HS-Laborious Slab
Downside Sort: Persistent Slab
Mattress Floor: G-Floor
Weak Layer Grain Sort: FC-Faceted Crystals
Slab Thickness: 350 cm (11.5 ft)
Width: 800 ft
Set off: AM-Snowmobile r-Distant
Terminus: BP – Backside of Path
