Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 457 m
- Weak Layer
- Facets
- Trigger Type
- Natural
- Vertical Fall
- 91 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 51 cm
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northeast
- Avalanche Problem
- Persistent Weak Layer
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3078 m
Visibility was again poor on Friday but we were able to get into a higher elevation basin and get a glimpse of some natural avalanche activity. What is notable here is that these slopes rarely slide. Only under the most unstable conditions do they release. This tells me a lot. If these avalanched, you can bet that MANY other slopes have also naturally avalanched.
The slide on the left is on Lara's Ridge. It may be quite a bit larger than what we see in the photo. The last time it avalanched a few years back, it extended well off the left side of this photo and basically took out the whole bowl that is adjacent to this slope. We couldn't see well enough to confirm but I suspect this avalanche also extended into the bowl.
The photos below were taken after the storm and reveal that the avalanche did extend well into the bowl.