March 6
Area:
Porter Fork
Elevations, slope angles and aspects:
6200’-10000’. Angles to 45°, north, northeast, northwest and east.
Avalanche activity:
Viewed the slide in Paradise
It was about 100 yards wide
running 1000’ vertical to the edge
of the main gully on Gobblers
The slide was the result of heavy snowfall combined with wind and some evidence of creep in the upper snow layering. The crown indicated a weakness from the late February wind crust, which stepped down to the faceted snow from January.
Once the slide started, trigger point unknown, it wrapped around pulling snow off the east, west and northwest facing aspects
extending around the Raymond shoulder massif to include the separate drainage between Raymond and Gobblers.
Snow pit testing indicated that although weak layering remains, further activity would need a large trigger or an isolated trigger in some obscure shallow weak area.
Slopes skied:
Paradise and Gobblers Knob, high shoulder.
Snow surface and conditions:
The snow at lower elevations and on the off aspects has gone through several melt-freeze cycles. There is lingering, very dense powder on the sheltered north , northeast and northwest facing, settled nicely.
Weather:
High clouds and mild temperatures. West breeze at times.
Evaluation:
I would think further activity to be limited. The northwest face of Gobblers is without the widespread wind loading. Slides would be in pockets of cross loading, requiring some mechanism, heat, rockfall or surface sluffing to initiate.
© wowasatch.com