Quick report
- Cracking
- Observed
- Collapsing
- Observed
Storm slab began to take shape mid am, noticed initially on the northerly aspects where the increasing temps and snow density was allowing for failure on the capped faceted and decomposing surfaces. Another party noted this on the north trees of Mavericks with a remote triggered slide. However, as the day wore on and we descended into the middle elevations I found a reactive interface above our most recent crust, where the storm slab (30cm) was failing on preserved stellars from last night above the crust. It was well connected, allowing for wide propagation with fast running debris. I listed two slides below. Regarding the first one, I either remoted it, or someone above us (coming in from the other side of the middle finger) sent a D2.5 down the gully that also entrained snow up onto the skiers left side of the middle finger of Mavericks - tree branches and cracking/snapping just left of the low angle rib. This is not your typical running spot for snow, and debris entrained through a couple stands of heavy timber as the slide then veered back into the main gully, running to the valley bottom. Just down slope following that activity, while working down the low angle rib, I remoted the next gully over to the white grass side - again taking tree branches down with its path. These slides all ran to the valley bottom. Impressive connectivity with the crust and preserved stellars, that was exacerbated by a storm slab from rising temps and heavy/dense snow.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2 R3
- Type
- SS
- Count
- 2
- Aspect
- E
- Trigger
- AS
- Elevation
- 8800 ft
Classifying the middle finger of Mavericks as the zone, R3 for that piece of terrain. Storm slab was failing on preserved stellars above the crust. It was well connected in the mid elevations allowing for wide propagation with fast running debris. This slide also sympathetically released crowns on the solar side of the gully to our north.