Day 5 - 11/21/10

[breaking off cornices]

LIKE SHARKS in the surf, oil slicks on NASCAR tracks, avalanches are a risk-factor in the backcountry ecology.  All out-of-bound travel must equally factor the posted avalanche forecast, knowledge of the season’s snowfall history, the accumulated experience of how snow behaves on known terrain, and finally that intangible element of instinct.

With the Utah Avalanche Center (see link in right panel) forecasting high hazards on many aspects, Brad and I chose a low-risk climb up Grizzly Gulch to Davenport Ridge and then skied lower angle pitches where the snow is anchored by fairly tight trees.  We found fluffy, light snow and the first real “face-shots” of the season in terrain that doesn’t appear to get a lot of traffic.

[avalanche run-out zone after intentional release]

Just as a reminder of the hazard, Brad did a ski cut at the top of a chute below Davenport cliffs, creating an intentional release before quickly swinging back into the safety of the trees.  The sharp pressure on the edge of the chute produced the classic “whoomp” of collapsing sub layers, followed by a large release, with an eight-inch crown that ran about four hundred feet.

[pluming pow]

We met up with two snowboarders who had a less predictable day.  The UofU students were searching for a “yurt” hidden east of the Silverfork area.  As Brad and I climbed for a third run, we heard someone calling out far down the drainage.  Were they lost, injured? Was somebody buried?  We quickly transitioned from skins to downhill mode and shot down the slope to discover that the snowboarders had become separated in the maze of different gullies and drainages.  With the boarders reunited, we started the climb back to home base and analyzed our emergency procedures, finding that we need to refine our communication and rescue procedures.

Day's Vertical: 4,200  Season to Date: 18,400