Check out this crown

[Twoplanker]

http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/photos...akGC1-8-04.jpg

http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/photos...endonCrown.jpg

http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/photos...rown1-9-04.jpg

http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/photos...king@crown.jpg

Jan 1, Wellsvillves, Northern UT

Photo credit: Utah Avalanche Center Staff, Toby Weed.

[MacDaddy]

holy shitt man that scares me just looking at it.

who is that crazy man?

[natty dread]

Damn!

[Twoplanker]

Originally posted by MacDaddy
holy shitt man that scares me just looking at it.

who is that crazy man?

Utah Avi Center Staff, don't know his name.

[Buzzworthy]

http://www.thewhiskystore.de/cdn/gimli/f06069_4.jpg

Sorry, NSR.

Well, not always.

[iskibc]

pics like that give me nightmares, yikes.

[Mulletizer]

http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/photos...endonCrown.jpg

Smart place to stand

[AntiSoCalSkier]

OK, I don't know jack about snow safety (which is why a don't ski out of bounds), so can someone explain to me why standing under a crown like that is dangerous. Although the conditions are clearly avalanche prone, the fact that the snow in the crown didn't slide seems to suggest that it's more stable than the snow that did slide. Or, are you guys worried about the large cornice in the background?

[Buzzworthy]

2P, can you see that from your dad's telescope?? Have you tried?? Just wondering. That is going to be big when it lets loose.

Maybe the fog is too much, just thought of that, although you are up on top of the bench.

[Lumpy]

Originally posted by iskibc
pics like that give me nightmares, yikes.

Yeah me too. All too real when I look in the liquor cabinet and see none there. Thanks Buzz, good reminder to stop by the hooch factory tonight.

[cololi]

Without actually seeing it in person, you can't determine what exactly the danger of standing under that crown is. I would imagine that the slope angle changes very near the crown, so it s steeper below the crown than above it (convex slope). My guess is that the remaining pocket of snow is fairly stable, especially since the only force holding it up now is the bond between snow layers (no more tensile strength holding up the remianing snow). But, that could jsut be anotehr reason not to stand under it, especially with the coniced ridge line above.

[Knockneed Man]

Isnt that just a second cornice?

It's in the shape of Florida (otherwise known as America's wang!)

[CaddyDaddy77]

Cool pics, but yeah a bit frightening. Guy probably has a fair knowledge of snow safety given his job, but not where I would choose to stand.

[jibij]

from mountainzone.com:
http://classic.mountainzone.com/feat...slab-crown.jpg

[FreakofSnow]

Crown picture taken from off of Lone Peak at Big Lie on Dec 17th

http://mtavalanche.com/Temp%20images/Lenin.JPG

description from the site:

I went out with the Big Sky Ski Patrol yesterday and helped them hunt for avalanches. We could see some natural slides on the north face of Cedar Mountain and a fresh slide on Wilson, likely from wind loading. The winds were also streaking across the south face of Lone Peak impressively loading the gullies. Although we were in a ski area, the snowpack resembled the backcountry since we were on slopes that haven’t seen public compaction. I wasn’t expecting anything too impressive, but a patroller threw a small hand charge that triggered a huge slide (see photo). It was over 7 feet deep, 800 feet wide and ran 1,600 feet vertical. You don’t get to see slides of this magnitude everyday, and I was certainly humbled by its sheer power. It too slid on a layer of facets near the ground.

http://mtavalanche.com/data/Dec172003.shtml

[G]

whoa

[LCC]

Originally posted by Mulletizer
http://www.avalanche.org/~uac/photos...endonCrown.jpg

Smart place to stand

In my avalance course earlier this season, the instructors encouraged us to go do just this. Bruce Temper, one of the teachers said its a great way to see exaclty what happend wrong to produce the slide. He did mention to take precautions, but that its not really an unsafe place to stand. The event that took the snow down the mountain has already taken place, whats left is what is now "stable". It's actually a snow pit, already dug for you, and you can see exactly what the weak layers did. This is why avalance forecasters go look at avalanches after they slide.

[Twoplanker]

Originally posted by Buzzworthy
2P, can you see that from your dad's telescope?? Have you tried?? Just wondering. That is going to be big when it lets loose.

Maybe the fog is too much, just thought of that, although you are up on top of the bench.

Haven't tied, but I don't think you can see hat exact area from my neighborhood, given the way it faces. Plus, I just saw it close up the pictures above. The pictures were taken on Jan 1, so I'm sure there's not much, if anything visible anymore.

[Stoysluttie1]

That is Toby Weed, the Av forecaster up here in LoCache and probably Dave, a volunteer. You could actually see that crown from USU's campus.

I talked to a lady that lives next door to the man where the debris had slid to. He has a cabin at the foothill and remembers a slide that came down and buried his house. This is probably the second biggest one he has seen come down off of Mendon Peak. LArger ones come off of Box Elder, the Cone, and South Bowl, where they actually run out into many of the farmers fields.

I'll be up there this weekend! Skiing a different shot of course.