Observer Name
MM
Observation Date
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Avalanche Date
Thursday, January 2, 2025
Region
Salt Lake » Little Cottonwood Canyon » Emma Ridges
Location Name or Route
Emma’s
Elevation
9,500'
Aspect
South
Trigger
Snowboarder
Trigger: additional info
Unintentionally Triggered
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Avalanche Problem
New Snow
Weak Layer
New Snow/Old Snow Interface
Depth
8"
Width
30'
Caught
1
Carried
1
Comments
One splitboarder in our party triggered an avalanche in the Emma's today (technically "culps" on WBSkiing app). It broke on a steep convex rollover well above the rider, catching and briefly carrying them. The slide was about 8" deep at the tallest part of the crown, and approximately 30' wide. The avalanche ran until the flats, about 500' below.
Upon inspecting the crown, we discovered a thin sun crust under the new snow. The avalanche failed on this crust, signaling poor interface between the old/new snow. Given the slightly upside down snow, surface recrystallization and terrain feature, it wasn't unexpected. This layer may be something to watch out for going forward as it could potentially be problematic.
Last two photos are a different crown we noticed going uphill, assumed to have been triggered by another party.
Coordinates