Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 30 m
- Weak Layer
- New Snow/Old Snow Interface
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 305 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 30 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Remotely Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- South
- Avalanche Problem
- Wind Slab
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3018 m
On Saturday afternoon 1/28, we triggered a 12-24" deep wind slab avalanche on S facing Mt. Raymond in BCC. We were threading obvious wind drifts while breaking trail up a steep shoulder. At one point near the ridge into E facing Mill A, we backed off from walking across on particularly rounded pillow of snow, and then triggered the slide remotely from about 20' away while walking away from the open slope across a thin spot. The slide ran at least 1000' vertical, produced a dust cloud, and appeared to shake some big trees.
Adding this text-only observation a day late because in hindsight it seems like the avalanche could have failed in a radiation-recrystalization or other NSF/crust combo that developed on 1/26. Initially we assumed it failed in pooled graupel, but the steep, planar slope seems more likely to bear some RR etc. than pooled graupel. No pics and no actual forensics because the light was bad and we were above the crown; so it's really just a hunch. But it seems like in some places there's complexity in the upper snowpack right now that folks (like me) don't always factor in, or dig down to evaluate, when they're mostly thinking about windslabs. Will it settle out with the frigid temps or in a few days?