Public Field Report

Observation Date:

February 9, 2022

Submitted:

February 10, 2022

Zone or Region:

Soldier and Wood River Valley Mtns

Activity:

Skiing/Snowboarding

Location:

Fox Creek

Did you trigger any avalanches?

Yes

Was it intentional?

Avalanche Type:

Wet Slab

Size:

Size 1: Relatively harmless to people

Elevation:

lower

Aspect:

Comments:

The split boarder in front of me was walking, slightly climbing on a side hill trail when he set off this small ( 20'long x 4'wide x 1'deep) wet slab slide. We'd been climbing and skiing/boarding in very heavy, wet snow no matter what aspect we were on.

None reported

We were skiing out, ending the day on the Fox Creek trail where the trail was on a side hill and where we needed to side step up a bit when the split boarder ahead of me set this little slide in motion. It actually slid fairly quickly down the short slope to the creek. A bit of a surprise as the snow everywhere was very wet and heavy. We had climbed about 1800'(?) and decided not to go to the Griffin Butte summit because of the snow conditions. But we didn't observe any avalanches, or cracks.

This small wet avalanche released on a S-facing slope along the Fox Ck trail N of Ketchum.

Prolonged periods of above freezing temperature and warm sun are turning some slopes to mush. Small slides like these are most likely at middle and lower elevations, particularly where the snow was sugary and unconsolidated.