Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 35°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 12 m
- Weak Layer
- New Snow/Old Snow Interface
- Trigger Type
- Skier
- Vertical Fall
- 6 m
- Avalanche Type
- Hard Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 30 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Remotely Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- Northeast
- Avalanche Problem
- Persistent Weak Layer
- Start Zone Elevation
- 2530 m
We remotely triggered this avalanche while walking the ridge. A collapse failing all the way to the ground that produced these large shooting cracks then triggered a wind slab sitting atop a facet crust combo. You could see shooting cracks all around the surrounding area, but only the area that had been recently loaded released. You could probe/see ground through these cracks.
This area had been loaded from SW winds yesterday AM and was being actively loaded while we where there.
HS-Sr-R1-D1
This is a small avalanche, but speaks to the structure, a stout, slick crust with well developed facets above and below it. It would appear that this weak layer will become more active with more water weight and a cohesive slab. Lower down off of the ridge we found new snow on top of facets which overlayed a variety of crust and weak snow that Andy spoke of in his ob yesterday (see last photo).
Surface snow had started to weaken today, with surface hoar present and signs of near surface faceting as well. A number of layers to keep our eyes on coming in to this next storm.