Avalanche: Silver Fork Headwall

Traveling along the Emma’s Ridgeline over the Silverfork Headwall, we noticed deep cracks running parallel with the ridgeline. These cracks are a result of the sheer weight of the cornices in the windward side of the ridge, pulling north away from the rest of the snowpack. They are 6” to 1’ wide and run all the way to the ground. We observed them in several places along the ridge, running about 30’ long, and ranging from 10’ to 25’ back from the actual edge of the cornice. They reminded me of glide cracks. They were covered by fragile snow bridges made from wind drifted snow in several places, which was easily removed with brushing from a ski pole or ski. My takeaway is to remain WAY further back from the edge of the cornice than one might think. I have no idea how much extra weight the sheering chunk of snow can support, but I think that falling with one of these bus sized pieces of snow would mean death.