From "Snowy Torrents, Avalanche Accidents in the US, 1980-1986": Ron Stagg; Kent Stephens, 31; Al Soucie, 37; and Kevin Kobe, 24

Weather Conditions:

Throughout the Wasatch the snowpack was weak. A three-week dry spell in December had caused extensive surface hoar and upper-level kinetic metamorphism development. At near- by Beaver Mountain Ski Area several small storms between December 29 to January 7 left 20 inches of new snow on top of the weak snowpack.

On the morning of the 16th, an additional three inches fell. Skies were generally overcast with scattered snow showers, and temperatures were in the low to mid 30s. About mid- day winds increased from the west causing some snow transport onto the easterly aspects. Since January 10, no avalanche activity had been reported to the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center—throughout the northern Wasatch— from either the backcountry or ski area control work.

Accident Summary:

A group of four experienced backcountry skiers—Ron Stagg; Kent Stephens, 31; Al Soucie, 37; and Kevin Kobe, 24—left Salt Lake City for a day of backcountry skiing. Soucie was interested in evaluating the stability of some higher elevation slopes in the backcountry around Logan.

From the bottom of Steam Mill Canyon the group headed up a ridge looking to find a north- to east-facing slope to dig some pits and do some skiing. On their ascent the group took time to test the leeward slopes with ski cuts and by kicking off pieces of the overhanging cornice. Blocks as big as a person, and some even bigger, caused no slab avalanches as they rolled 100 feet down the slope. Occasionally a block would cause a minor sluff of the new snow on slopes up to 40° in steepness.

Further up the ridge Stagg pointed out a slope he had skied the last time he had climbed the ridge. It was steep with scattered trees and faced more to the east. Soucie, who was in the lead, was more interested in the slope below them. Soucie explained to the group why it would be safer to try the less steep slope first in case of a surprise release: “It was lower angle, wide open with only a couple of boulders at the bottom, and it had a more gradual runout.” The group agreed, and it was decided a good representative spot to dig a snow pit was 50 feet below the ridgeline.

They did several shovel shear tests but none produced any clean or easy shear layers.

The group took some time looking at the snow layers and Souice explained the snow structure and answered questions as they examined the snow.

Conditions looked pretty safe. Based on their observations of no obvious shear layers in the snow pit and their tests of adjacent slopes on the ascent, the group decided to ski the slope one at a time. Everyone had a shovel, but only Soucie and Stagg had rescue beacons, so one of them would ski first. Soucie wanted another quick pit to be dug about mid slope to compare the layering with what was found at the upper snowpit.

Stagg had his skins off first and was ready to go. In his words, “I took off and made six or seven telemark turns. Then I stopped and was ready to make another turn when I had the sensation of moving. I looked around and saw the whole slope had broken up and was mov- ing. . . . At the same time I yelled, I turned my skis downhill and sat on the back of my skis.”

The other three watched Stagg as he was carried down, staying on top of the moving snow. The slide came to rest in the flats below; Stagg stayed on top and appeared to be all right. Stephens and Kobe, both emergency medical technicians, descended to Stagg, and Soucie went to look at the fracture line to decipher the surprise release.

Avalanche Data:

The soft-slab avalanche was classified as an SS- AS-2 with a 40 centimeter fracture on a slope of 35° at 8,900 feet. About half way down, it steepened to 40°. The slide released on a north- east-facing, open slope and fell 350 vertical feet.