Quick report
- Slope Angle
- 38°
Avalanche
- Slab Width
- 38 m
- Weak Layer
- New Snow/Old Snow Interface
- Trigger Type
- Snowboarder
- Vertical Fall
- 91 m
- Avalanche Type
- Soft Slab
- Slab Thickness
- 46 cm
- Trigger Detail
- Unintentionally Triggered
- Start Zone Aspect
- East
- Avalanche Problem
- Wind Slab
- Start Zone Elevation
- 3018 m
While skiing in Snake Creek Canyon near Rochester Ridge we observed the avalanche in Photos #1 and #2.
Brighton Ski Patrol had not heard any reports of this slide as of 1600. Upon investigating the slide, it appeared that one person (likely a snowboarder from the tracks) had unintentionally triggered this slide after entering chute with a sweeping right turn. It appeared that this person may have been swept off their feet and within 30 feet dug in and self arrested, see Photo 2. Crown was filled in by the time of observation due to Intense/Extreme WNW Winds and Wind Blown.
Bed surface was the old snow/new snow interface and there were small grained facets as the weak layer. Victim appeared to self rescue and ascend out of the starting zone. Photo 3 is the next chute down the ridge and it appeared to slide on the 8th during the high PI.
Incident
- Number Caught
- 1
- Number Carried
- 1