Avalanche

Avalanche: West Willow

BSalt Lake
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Avalanche

Slab Width
76 m
Weak Layer
Facets
Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
122 m
Avalanche Type
Hard Slab
Slab Thickness
91 cm
Trigger Detail
Remotely Triggered
Start Zone Aspect
Northeast
Avalanche Problem
Persistent Weak Layer
Start Zone Elevation
2865 m

It appears that we remotely triggered this avalanche on our first ascent heading up the West Willow Ridgeline. We heard many collapses during the day, and specifically we heard one when we were traveling well away from the ridgeline where we apparently remotely triggered it. And we were approximately 125 feet away from the ridgeline. Upon our second ascent on this skin track we observed an avalanche had occurred in the site noted. Crown was easily 1 meter deep on the left flank. Obviuosly it was a Wind Loaded Hard Slab that broke down into the old snow/new snow interface from the previous snow event earlier in the week. Avalanche ran to the valley floor and up the other side at least 70 feet. HS-ASr-D2. Of note, besides getting widespread collapsing and cracking throughout the day, Cornices were extremely sensitive, reactive and easily triggered without getting near their edges. Collapsing in the NE West Willow Bowl area on the ridgeline dislodged multiple cornices without effort and or intent. No traffic was in any runout zones.