Diagonal

Approaching Diagonal from the top there were clear signs of windloading. Skiing alone I decided I would not be skiing the line, but did choose to make some observations and investigate the extent of the loading, so long as I felt able to manage the amount of new snow available to slide. In the very top of the gully I found a connected slab with significant spacial variability. Pockets of slab a foot deep near the edges, with depths as little as an inch or two closer to the middle of the chute. Hand shear tests all showed poor bonding between the new snow and icy bed surface. Picking my way down the shallow middle of the slab I was able to get in behind the rock buttress on the skiers left. At this point the slab seemed to be a more consistent 4-5" deep across the chute. Staying in behind the rock, where the slab was thinner, I continued looking for signs of propagation, and found none. As I turned to walk back up from where I came, near the edge of the main chute, and planted my skis, which were still in hand, the slab cracked from my planted skis and boot across the gully, and was immediately followed by the rest of the slab above pulling out. At this point in the day temperatures were still in the mid 20s, and there was not yet any solar impact. Unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures as I was chasing down one of my skis which was caught in the slide. In the course of retrieving the ski it was apparent that the new snow had formed a slab all the way down the gully, all of which was pulled out by the slide. Slab depths in the chute proper were between 3-4"

Diagonal

Quick report

Avalanche