Avalanche Victim from Butler Basin, Big Cottonwood Canyon, UT, Dies in Hospital - SnowBrains

"Last Saturday, two riders were climbing Butler Basin, at 9,300 feet of elevation on a northerly aspect, when they triggered an avalanche and got caught and carried. Luckily, another group was nearby and witnessed the avalanche, immediately jumping into action, locating, and recovering the buried riders. Both riders were injured in the slide."

"The Butler Basin avalanche followed a major snowstorm in the west, bringing up to 45 inches of snowfall and covering what was largely dirt, rocks, and a historically low snowpack. The morning of February 21, the UAC put out an avalanche report stating there was considerable danger in northerly aspects, warning of slab avalanches above a 30° slope angle."

"This Butler Basin slide was a soft slab avalanche, with 2 feet of depth, 250 feet of width, and ran 100 vertical feet. The number one forecasted problem was a persistent weak layer. The 2-4 feet of new storm snow sat atop a weak faceted layer that had sat for 31 days since the last storm and was getting progressively weaker."

Utah recorded its fourth avalanche fatality of the season when a 57-year-old man died from injuries sustained in a Butler Basin avalanche on February 21. Two riders triggered a soft slab avalanche at 9,300 feet on a northerly aspect in Big Cottonwood Canyon. A nearby group witnessed the incident and rescued both buried riders, but the older victim remained in critical condition and died in hospital. The avalanche occurred following a major snowstorm depositing up to 45 inches of snow. The Utah Avalanche Center had issued a considerable danger warning for northerly aspects above 30-degree slopes. The slide was a soft slab approximately 2 feet deep, 250 feet wide, running 100 vertical feet, caused by new storm snow overlying a persistent weak faceted layer that had weakened over 31 days.

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