Avalanche at Palisades - KT22

[crank]

I love the sound of guns and bombs in the morning.

Another in the man am I old category. I was at Park City in 1977 and an inbounds run slid. Wasn't even fresh snow just heavy wet spring conditions. I think it was called blue slip or pink slip bowl. It was a steepish flat run near the top os Silverqueen I think.

 

[drjeff]

The only avalanches I can find a record of in PC where on Dutch draw. That gate off 9990 is now closed. I've been coming here a loooong time and never seen one.Except last season when they bombed murdoch peak for days..with not much effect..
Now at Alta bird it was easy to watch them bomb and create slides...

We were out at the Canyons, maybe 10 years or so ago now, when they had a BIG one in Dutch Draw a few days before we arrived that claimed the lives of multiple skiers. I remember looking from the top of 9990 over the closed gate and that crown was crown 6 to 8 feet tall and extended out a good 100 yards or so South towards Park City Resort. Definitely made an impression on me seeing the size of the slide and knowing what the end result was

 

[skiur]

I love the sound of guns and bombs in the morning.

Another in the man am I old category. I was at Park City in 1977 and an inbounds run slid. Wasn't even fresh snow just heavy wet spring conditions. I think it was called blue slip or pink slip bowl. It was a steepish flat run near the top os Silverqueen I think.

What exactly is a steepish flat run?

 

[urungus]

What exactly is a steepish flat run?

Steep but moguls flattened out by groomer ?

 

[crank]

What exactly is a steepish flat run?

Kind of steep, but not 40 degrees steep. No moguls. Think Whiteface.

 

[4aprice]

There are going to be more avalanches out west, hopefully no more fatal, but my guess is there will be. The entire west has a rotten snow base which baked in the sun for many days. Now we are getting blasted with a s******d of snow on top of that old base. Combine this with the fact people are jonesing for powder and great skiing and I fear it's a deadly backcountry combination.

The winds after this system are going to be wild. 70 mph up on the peaks in Colorado. Lot's of loading in spots. Back country could be out of play for a while.

 

[raisingarizona]

The winds after this system are going to be wild. 70 mph up on the peaks in Colorado. Lot's of loading in spots. Back country IS out of play for a while.

FIFY

 

[MidnightJester]

2nd Avalanche. Their base is not in good shape to withstand the current snow weight. Must Have one or multiple bad layers in it.

Palisades Tahoe, CA, Rocked by 2nd Inbounds Avalanche in 30-Hours - SnowBrains

In a span of just over a day, Palisades Tahoe, California, was struck by two significant avalanches. The second just 30 hours after the first

snowbrains.com

 

[thetrailboss]

2nd Avalanche. Their base is not in good shape to withstand the current snow weight. Must Have one or multiple bad layers in it.

Palisades Tahoe, CA, Rocked by 2nd Inbounds Avalanche in 30-Hours - SnowBrains

In a span of just over a day, Palisades Tahoe, California, was struck by two significant avalanches. The second just 30 hours after the first

snowbrains.com

I just got a report of an avalanche closing Logan Canyon (US-89) here in Utah. We have been getting constant snow for the last week with bouts of wind. Be careful out west.

 

[BenedictGomez]

The only avalanches I can find a record of in PC where on Dutch draw. That gate off 9990 is now closed.

Probably because someone died. Inbounds avy deaths in America are pretty rare in general, but if they're going to happen, right now is probably that time. If you're interested in some grizzly history:

Avalanche Fatalities - Utah Avalanche Center

utahavalanchecenter.org

 

[thetrailboss]

Probably because someone died. Inbounds avy deaths in America are pretty rare in general, but if they're going to happen, right now is probably that time. If you're interested in some grizzly history:

Avalanche Fatalities - Utah Avalanche Center

utahavalanchecenter.org

FWIW for a while at least a part of Dutch Draw was in-bounds for Canyons. Check out this 1998 trail map (skimap.org)

I believe that there have been multiple deaths in Dutch Draw. It's notoriously dangerous.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I was at Park City in 1977 and an inbounds run slid. Wasn't even fresh snow just heavy wet spring conditions. I think it was called blue slip or pink slip bowl.

Blueslip Bowl. The history of that name comes from many years ago it was not on map and it was forbidden territory, perhaps because of the avy risk you noted, dunno. Anyway, people would poach it, and if the person was an employee it was supposedly automatic grounds for dismissal, and the paperwork was blue. I only recently learned this in some Park City trivia history thing.

 

[thetrailboss]

And I remember this avalanche. It was really bad.

Accident: Wilson Glade - Utah Avalanche Center

utahavalanchecenter.org

 

[Edd]

Deleted, sorry, didn't see the posts above.

 

[thetrailboss]

Fuck.

Second avalanche reported at Palisades Tahoe, no one impacted

Palisades Tahoe ski resort reported a second avalanche on Thursday, one day after a first avalanche claimed the life of one person and injured another.

www.cbsnews.com

Yeah, I saw that. It is going to be a really bad weekend since it is MLK and folks in the Bay area are no doubt Jonesin' for some fresh snow. I can see this getting worse in Palisades Tahoe.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I believe that there have been multiple deaths in Dutch Draw. It's notoriously dangerous.

The gate was always left open, even when the avalanche danger was high. Know why? Lawyers. They feared that if they "ever" closed the gate it was tacit admission that they were suggesting there was or wasnt risk of avalanche.

From a PR article a few years back:

if PCMR were to close the backcountry gate when there was particularly high avalanche danger, that might open the door to legal liability for accidents that occur when the gate is open.

This kind of logic seems absolutely flippin' nuts to me.

 

[thetrailboss]

And this was the first avi fatality in the Wasatch after I moved here. I remember this one as well. The snowboarder was a pro rider.

Accident: Gad Valley - Utah Avalanche Center

utahavalanchecenter.org

 

[thetrailboss]

The gate was always left open, even when the avalanche danger was high. Know why? Lawyers. They feared that if they "ever" closed the gate it was tacit admission that they were suggesting there was or wasnt risk of avalanche.

From a PR article a few years back:

This kind of logic seems absolutely flippin' nuts to me.

I remember that Hobson's choice. It sucked. So when it became permanently closed I completely understood why.

 

[eatskisleep]

I’m not a backcountry skier when I go out west so I never think about a beacon for those trips. But this is firmly inbounds, makes me wonder.

I bring a beacon shovel and probe and so does my skiing partner when we ski out west. Once you’re used to always wearing a pack it honestly just feels weird without it.

 

[kingslug]

This may be one of those days I wish I brought mine..