Avalanche

Avalanche: Little Water

A. ArnisSalt Lake
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Avalanche

Slab Width
24 m
Trigger Type
Skier
Slab Thickness
25 cm
Start Zone Aspect
Northeast
Start Zone Elevation
2926 m

A group of three were heading up Mill D to ski something off Little Water Peak. On our way up we didn't see any notable warning signs of cracking or collapsing. Once on top, we decided to dig a NE facing pit to test the weak layer underneath. We didn't find anything concerning and decided that Fire Water would be fun shot to ski. In hindsight, our pit was on the ridge and therefore was not a good indicator of the slope we were skiing. I believe this is the single biggest mistake we made.

I took the first drop and stayed skiers left for caution. When I was nearly at the bottom, I noticed the full force of the soft slab and headed further left to avoid it. Once safe, I told my partners to not ski down because there were still slabs above that could fall. I took an alternate exit rout (below 30 degrees) to avoid any possibility of slabs coming from above.

* I am not the same Arnis who gave a report yesterday