Avalanche

Avalanche: Rocky Point

R HamicSalt Lake
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Avalanche

Slab Width
18 m
Trigger Type
Skier
Vertical Fall
91 m
Avalanche Type
Soft Slab
Slab Thickness
76 cm
Start Zone Aspect
Northeast
Avalanche Problem
Wind Slab
Start Zone Elevation
3200 m

On our second lap from Rocky Point this morning we decided to ski cut the skiers Left line from the top. On our previous lap we had noticed significant signs of wind loading and snow transport from the SW winds.

I dropped in and cut the line across and the slope fractured and released. The fracture propagated across the entire entry of the line and it ran about 300 vertical feet. The crown has a maximum depth of roughly 2.5'.

Thankfully it fractured where I expected, but I will admit it broke much wider than I had anticipated and ran much further.

We then safely descended on skiers right on the lower angle shoulder.