Road cut south facing slope of 42 degrees, triggered intentionally, shows about 12 inches of windblown soft slab on top of a faceted layer (in this case more extreme due to aspect and inclination toward the sun) but was triggered only by chopping a hand into the snow a few times. This same faceted layer (the uppermost layer of a thick faceted layer of 1-2 fee) exists throughout the snowpack. Also, the bottom-most layers of snow are very faceted and conditions have not occurred yet to set the snow for a base. Walking around your feet go right to the ground even in areas where snow is 2+ feet deep. There are many rock/tree hazards lurking under the soft snow because of this, two people in our group damaged their a-arms.
Sawtelle Peak
Island Park
Code
SS-AFc-I
Aspect
SE
Latitude
44.56110
Longitude
-111.44300
Notes
Number caught
0
Number buried
0
Avalanche Type
Soft slab avalanche
Trigger
Foot penetration
Trigger Modifier
c-A controlled or intentional release by the indicated trigger
Bed Surface
I - Interface between new and old snow
Problem Type
Wind-Drifted Snow
Slab Thickness units
centimeters
Single / Multiple / Red Flag
Single Avalanche
Advisory Year