Wasatch Conditions 13/14

**wra** · 02-15-2014, 03:45 PM

Hysteria should be considered poor form when forecasting avalanche probability.
Travel from Alta Guard station to Reynolds flat via Cardiff Fork.
Apologies on image quality. Lighting was not the best.

The slide in upper Cardiff runs from just north of Cardiac pass to just south of the commonly skied Cardiac ridge terrain.
It descended almost 2000' vertical.

Deepest part of the crown is below the roll on the west side of lower LSB, guessing 6' or so(lookers left of photo).
Slide initiated in wind loaded, rocky terrain, spreading and stepping down at the lower break over.
I went over and looked at the explosive triggered slide just south of Georges. Similar pattern with less load because it ran earlier.
There was observed activity on Santiago(Mineral Fork) with a possible slide off the BCC Twin in upper Broads, east facing.
One cornice was dropped from the Georges ridge for self protection, no results.
Snow is a little stiff for skiing but, stability is improving and will continue in that fashion with a cool down.
I had very little concern for remote triggering with ski penetration only a couple of inches. I saw no one till the bottom of Georges and no beacon was worn during the day.

**skifishbum** · 02-16-2014, 06:24 AM

looks like the cornices whompin dipshits are
well.....
someone tell just cant let it b jong
life flight and the snow safetey teams have better things to do then
search debris that your dumblefuck asses create.

does someone really need to be winter trundled and exterminated before it stops?
whose teachin or condoning this shit?

**Slaag Master** · 02-16-2014, 08:07 AM

BOTTOM LINE
The AVALANCHE DANGER IS HIGH on all mid and upper elevation slopes – for deep slabs breaking to the ground on the northwest through easterly facing slopes and for wet avalanches on most aspects. Wet slides will increase with daytime heating on all aspects. Avoid travel in historic run out zones. Low elevation slopes have a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger for wet avalanches and for run out zones. = uac

**skifishbum** · 02-16-2014, 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by wra

Hysteria should be considered poor form when forecasting avalanche probability.

hysteria and sex sell
slags buyin 1

**tuco** · 02-16-2014, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by skifishbum

damn what a dif a few hours and the increased load can do

looks like it may of broke right at the traverse out to peek into the gut that ive had a few memorable runs down

def a high consequence area
http://utahavalanchecenter.org/avalanches/20486
damn tuco good thing we all had that safety sess

well it could be worse out there

thanks 4 the history lesson

Well, you know what they say, "Safetyness is next to godliness".... er some shit like that.
Shot looked so tempting, but you could just see the giant windloads. Skied the trees next to that shot sometime after the slide and it skied real well. Last pitch to Silvie floor was a slogfest w/ giant pinwheels propagating from ski tracks. Return trail was as slow as I can remember, I just took my shit off and walked almost the entire road.

**Rick McBiffquick** · 02-16-2014, 01:32 PM

Hey SBF - Wish you and your sponsor could have have been with us in the Monashees on Friday, near epic. If it weren't for the raft of shit I'd get for thread drift I would post some mental images.

**leroy jenkins** · 02-16-2014, 01:41 PM

Its pretty easy to start a new thread, and stoke is always appreciated.

**tBatt** · 02-16-2014, 02:46 PM

Holy Graupel, Batman!

**JustBe** · 02-16-2014, 05:46 PM

Alta put about 20+ bombs down with no results. Solitude had yet to clear the traverse to the pass, TLP was a ghosttown and the resorts were just opening. There where no visible lines off the top leading into the main drainage or popper zone down below. I've seen that ridge slide a few times, naturally and remotely triggered off the ridge and have never seen it run pass the bench. I started to convince myself I could use the subridge to get into the Efacing popper zone. I kicked a cornice just pass the subridge. Cornice drops don't provide a lot of beta in terms of deep slab avalanches but if I’m going to ride a line and there's a cornice that can be dropped as a way to test the slope or clean a line into the safer lower zone I’m going to use it. I will teach this to my kids and I will condone it. After going back and forth in my head I decided not to drop the line, known deep slab, too much above me, poor light, the large convexity ¾ down off the ridge and I also didn’t want to put the skinner back up not knowing what Solitudes plans were. I walked up ridge a bit and ran into another solo traveller (Wolfgang). He was a pleasant older gentleman, a strong member of the “tribe” not a “douche”. We discussed conditions as “tribe” members often do. At the spot we met up there was a small thin cornice that stuck out quite far, it was not large by any means and was on the verge of cracking on its own. It could easily/safely be tapped off and as we talked I casually tapped it off. As Wolfgang put it on his post to the UAC “One kick broke the cornice.” Noa stompin justa kicken wasadone. The cornice gouged the surface and created a small sluff like the previous cornice that then initiated a soft slab that then stepped down to the floor. We were both blown away by how far it ran but from the ridge you could not see much and it looked big but not huge. Having seen Bruce’s pics the slide is 10x the size that it looked from the ridge which makes sense given the energy it ran with. I asked Wolfgang if he planned to contact the UAC with the pic he took and he said yes. So we went our separate ways. I don’t facebook, instagram, etc. and I only recently started to bring my wifes cell phone with me so it didn’t even register to call Alta. When the heli med showed up my heart stopped and the thought I should have called it in clicked. I figured they were looking for the trigger but by the time I got to the ridgeline they were gone.

The reason for the novel I’m writing is I think much is to be learned. I’ve been touring for some time in the Wasatch. The humble gentleman I met on the ridge and I are not cornice dropping douchebags. I personally fell into the common trap of being familiar with a zone and thinking I could outsmart the avalanche. This was an important lesson for me to learn and reinforces decision making skills etc. Having read the UAC post on a lone track the thought of someone having been killed would have been unbearable. It is a shame that such resources were wasted and peoples lives endangered. Someone had a perspective that I did not and they acted on it. I did not go out that day with the intention to trigger a large avalanche. I chose my zone for the day based on the safe terrain and multiple options it provided not because it might have some big cornices I can stomp. I safely rode multiple lines and aspects that day. It did not take much to trigger the slope, I found the sweet spot and it could just have easily been remotely triggered off the ridge. It could also be said that maybe just maybe cleaning that line saved lives as well since it is one of the more easily accessed popular sidecountry ridgelines and we will be moving into the low probability-high consequence phase that comes with any deep slab cycle. Arm chair quarterbacking whether it be post avalanche accident or in this instance I’m sure has a place. I would argue that one of the main lessons learned would be the importance of “staying out from under steep slopes and avalanche runnouts” that is consistently emphasized via the UAC advisories.Whether you intentionally trigger a slide using a cornice drop or ski cut or unintentionally remotely trigger a slide on the up, on the down or off the ridge the snow all goes to the same place….the runnout. Route choice and heeding the advice given in the advisories is important. I also think we should always be checking our practice and refining our art. You should take Wolfgangs name out of your post, he was just an observer and a good guy and I thank him for posting that up on the UAC. Tribe up, some of the shit you post makes you seem like a douche.

**skifishbum** · 02-16-2014, 09:32 PM

Originally Posted by JustBe

We have a saying around here. It goes......You don't shit in my backyard and I won't shit in yours.
Tribe Up.
.

skied that line tues
thanks for droppin turds and shitfuckin up the backyard
and trying to justify wasting others energy
my favorite part of your story is the multiple years of touring and after
intentially starting a large avvy letting someone know didn't occur to you
i guess in your years of reading the uac you never made it down that far or had a grasp of the sar picture.

thundersnowin grauplin today
a rouge lighting strike could of found that sweet spot just as likely
welcome to the whackiest ehood
the fact that you have 3 posts and have used the words "gay" and "tribe" over a dozen times
is one hell of a start so i really value your input but your free to just b or do whatever

went out to check out the guild line
my ski model/partner shreded so fuckin extreme he ripped out his self installed helicoils
but nailed the 1st honeycomb freeheeled one ski descent of the boundry chutes

fukna ricky biffy stoked 4 u
hope it was 4k best xmass ever bake 2 da lake alicoius

**spindrift65** · 02-16-2014, 11:11 PM

http://youtu.be/BohNwZPBwLg A little good music and some pics. Better on the small screen.

**JustBe** · 02-17-2014, 12:16 AM

I'm not into pissing contest. Things weigh heavy on my mind. Mistakes were made and lessons were learned. Hopefully others can learn something as well. I wouldn't of took the time or effort to write that up if I believed otherwise. The exaggerated use of "gay" was related to another thread, it's not part of my vocabulary. I could care less if you value my input, I didn't think you represented Wolfgang correctly and I felt I needed to man up.

**glademaster** · 02-17-2014, 12:36 PM

Was out on the highest East Wall sidestep in Honeycomb during the thunder/graupel fest. Impressive to see graupel waterfalls pouring off of Fantasy Ridge. Smooth and fast skiing out there. Can't wait to get into the trees out of Eagle and Navarone gates if they ever open them.

**Brad Davis** · 02-17-2014, 04:57 PM

UDOT will be doing explosive work tomorrow in Little Cottonwood Canyon- South ridge of Superior. Backcountry Closure in effect from Midnight to 7:30 on 2/18/14, Cardiff Pk to Monte Cristo. Road Closure will be local and minimal.

Thanks,

Brad D.

**skifishbum** · 02-19-2014, 10:19 AM

if ya manned up i'd be reading it on the uac but strong work young adultin and telling your story anonamously here
haven't change my or a hell of a lot of other wasatch minds
justify your actions all ya want teach your kids whateverz responsbility for actions aint a bad lesson
sucked when the powderturds were out intentionally starting large avvies in the name of slope stability assesments

was gonna head over and check out your footiework

but fantasy led to eastbowl
5' of snow did wonders for the booter
volunteer slope stability tested e and w bowl
spongebobby grauplicious
better consistency snow on e
bit o windfunkage w
high speed ragdoll cartwheel on +30 degree rollover produced no significant results and the days only face shots
obvious instabilities limited to slight wind slabbed cracking of under 12" most involving graup
Tribe sumthin

**Brad Davis** · 02-20-2014, 02:18 AM

LCC- Backcountry closure in effect midnight thru 8am, Lisa Falls thru Grizzly Gulch. 2/20/14

-BD

**mtnbiker/boarder** · 02-20-2014, 11:05 AM