Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 40°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 38 m
- Weak Layer
- New Snow/Old Snow Interface
- Trigger Type
- Natural
- Vertical Fall
- 183 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 46 cm
- Start Zone Aspect
- North
- Avalanche Problem
- New Snow
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3566 m
Two adjacent avalanches occurred during the night of Dec 25, this report refers to slide A in the attached image. Avalanche initiated as a fresh wind drift at the ridge crest approximately 12" deep and 30' wide. As it moved down slope it triggered a wider, and deeper avalanche approximately 125' wide and 2' deep that appeared as if it stepped down into a persistent weak layer of facets around rocks. It was difficult to ascertain from our vantage point, and dangerously wind loaded slopes, in extreme terrain prevented closer examination from above.
On Thursday, Dec 27, I was able to investigate the crowns on these slides and determined that they only involved recent, wind drifted snow. This report has been updated to reflect weak layer as the new snow/old snow interface.