On Tuesday, one snowboarder had a close call on Mt. Superior. While skinning up the South Ridge to the summit of Mt. Superior, the snowboarder triggered a large avalanche that traveled down the Monte Cristo Gully. Luckily, he didn’t get caught in it, as the slide ended up being huge.
Here’s how he described the slide to the Utah Avalanche Center:
“Today while skinning along the south ridge off the Mt Superior summit, I triggered an avalanche on the western aspect of Superior that slid into the Monte Cristo gully. It broke underfoot and the entire slope spider webbed, propagating approx 600-800′ in front of and below where I stood. Crown varied in size, averaging 2-3′, with the tallest crowns being about 4′. The bed surface of the slide revealed a couple inches of facets that didn’t get cleared out.”
The video below, shared with the Utah Avalanche Center by Will Ambler, shows the view of the major slide from Snowbird Resort.
With this major slide, the Utah Avalanche Center is warning people to avoid slopes below 30 degrees in the backcountry at the moment due to the high risk. As of January 18th, they list the chances of human-triggered and natural avalanches as likely.
For more information about the Mt. Superior slide and the current avalanche risk in the state., check out KSL’s video report below.
Image/Video Credits: Utah Avalanche Center, Will Ambler, KSL
