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Avalanche: Grizzly Gulch

Observer Name
Becks
Observation Date
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Avalanche Date
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Grizzly Gulch
Location Name or Route
Little Cottonwood Canyon > Grizzly Gulch > Pettipants Area
Elevation
9,900'
Aspect
North
Trigger
Snowboarder
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
8"
Width
20'
Comments
Our group of 4 toured up Grizzly Gulch around 9an, primarily sticking to the trees on the North aspect of the Patsy ridge line. We eventually edged further up the ridge (East) into a few of the steeper lines, noting the fairly reactive sluff we'd encountered throughout day from the new storm snow. It was snowing pretty hard on and off all day with variable wind as well. On one of the steeper drops, I triggered a big sluff and rode over to a safe zone to let it pass. When looking back up the hill, we noticed a 6-8" crown about 20" wide. The sluff was moving pretty fast, but since it was a pretty narrow crown and not a ton of snow moving, it was easy enough to ride out of. Given our location and the short pitches we were riding it wasn't a huge concern, but would definitely be something to watch out for in more consequential terrain. It hadn't let up snowing when we left the parking lot around 3pm and is worth noting that the sluff became more reactive throughout the day with the added snow (thank you lake effect). I didn't hike back up to the crown to check, but I would assume it slid on the old / new snow interface.
Coordinates