Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 61 m
- Weak Layer
- Facets
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 56 cm
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northwest
- Avalanche Problem
- Persistent Weak Layer
- Start Zone Elevation
- 2804 m
It wasn't clear if this was natural or remotely triggered from a distance in low visibility conditions - this slide occurred during our first of 2 climbs up this skin track or between our 2 climbs. This was a 36 deg wind slab off the side of a side canyon, formed by E wind cross-loading 250 ft below the ridge line. The slab formed and failed on basal facets below a thin snow pack on a slope heavily wind-affected. No tracks were covered. but the slide ran about 400 ft and the debris was marginally deep enough to bury a person, strained through a few aspens, and certainly had the potential to take a person for a turbulent ride. Noteworthy was that the slide surprised us - it was in an odd location with snow very different than most of what we had been skiing and digging hasty pits in. No harm done, but if we'd had more time we might have skied that slope. This was a good wake up call as it was late in the day and very cold with poor visibility in a remote area with no cell coverage.