Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 37°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 30 m
- Weak Layer
- Graupel
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 76 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 38 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Remotely Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northwest
- Avalanche Problem
- Persistent Weak Layer
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3048 m
This avalanche occurred likely during a period of high PI and quickly overloaded a 5 cm (2-3") layer of graupel. Am unsure if was a natural or skier-triggered slide as there may have been some old ski tracks adjacent to the slide. (Any ski tracks, as well as the bed surface) had filled in with 5-10 cms of storm snow.
In speaking to Mark Staples afterwards - he said it perfectly "(despite the weak layer of faceted snow near the ground), the graupel was the weakest layer."
[EDIT - Updated information is that this was a skier-triggered slide that occurred during a period of intense precipitation on Friday afternoon. The skier reported skiing the slope from the safety of trees on the skier's right of the slide path. Midway down their run, the steep slope adjacent to them remotely avalanched.]